/ Jy^i!'^?^'!; 


*ti 


REGULATIONS 

OF    THE 

LIBRARY 
IN    THE    BERRY    STREET    VESTRY 


I. 

The  Library  is  open  to  the  use  of  all  the  members  of 
the  Federal  Street  Concire£rational  Society,  though  par- 
ticularly designed  for  the  Teachers  of  the  Sunday  School. 

II. 

Books  are  delivered  from  the  Vestry  during  the  half- 
hour  immediately  after  the  morning  service  on  every  Sun- 
day, except  tlie  first  in  the  month,  when  the  library  will 
be  open  for  lialf  an  hour  after  the  afternoon  service. 
Books  must  be  returned  at  the  same  time  and  place. 

III. 

Each  person  may  take  two  volumes  at  a  time. 

IV. 

No  book  may  be  kept  longer  than  four  weeks. 

V. 

No  volume  can  be  taken  from  the  library  until  its  title, 
together  with  the  name  and  residence  of  the  person  on 
whose  account  it  is  taken,  has  been  recorded  by  the  libra- 
rian in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose. 


While  it  is  hoped  that  the  members  of  the  Society,  as 
well  as  the  teachers  of  the  Sunday  School,  will  make  fre- 
quent use  of  the  library,  they  are  requested  to  observe 
these  rules  so  far  as  to  return  books  at  the  proper  time 
and  in  good  condition. 
BosTo.v,  Jan.  1839. 


.    A 


MEMOIRS 


OF 


JOSEPH  PRIESTLF.Y,  l.  l.  d.  r.  r.  s.  8^c. 


MEMOIRS 

OF 

TO  THE  YEAR  1795, 

wRifrEH  Br  himself: 

With  a  continuation,  to  the  time  of  his  decease, 
BY  HIS  SON,  JOSEPH  PRIESTLEY  : 

JJVB    OBSERVATIO^rS  OJV   JUS    WRITIJVGS^ 

BY  Thomas   CooPiiK,  PKJisiDKNT  JtDuji;    ok    thk 

4th.  district  of  Pennsylvania  :  and  the 

Rev.  William  Christie, 


■aaBBOBESSBn 


NORTHUMBERLAND : 
PRJJSTTMD    BY    JOHJ^i'    BJJ^J\'S. 

1806. 


District  of  Painsyhania,  to  ivit: 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  twenty -eighth  of 
December  in  the  thirtieth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the 
United  Slates  of  America,  A.  D.  1805,  Joseph  Priestley,  of 
the  said  district,  hath  deposited  in  this  Office  the  Title  of 
a  Book,  the  right  whereof  he  claims  as  Proprietor,  in  the 
words  following,  to  wit : 

"  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Joseph  Priestley,  to  the  year  1795, 
"  written  by  himself,  with  a  continuation,  to  tlie  time  of 
"  his  decease,  by  his  Son  Joseph  Priestley,  and  observati- 
"  ons  on  his  writings,  by  Thomas  Cooper,  President  Judge 
"  of  the  4th  district  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Rev.  William 
"  Christie." 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  tlic  United 
States,  intiiled  "  An  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning 
by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books  to  the  au- 
thors and  proprietors  of  such  copies  during  the  times  there- 
in mentioned."  And  also  to  the  Act  entitled  "  An  Act  sup- 
plemcnt.uy  to  an  Act  entitled  "  An  Act  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  Icivniingby  securing  tlie  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and 
Books  to  the  authors  and  propi'ictors  of  such  copies  during 
the  timei  therein  mentioned."  And  extending  the  benefits 
tiicreof  to  the  Arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching, 
historical  and  other  prijit.s. 

D.  CALDWELL, 

Clerk  of  the  Li:tnct 
of  Pcnniiylvar.i.i. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS, 


OF 


VOLUME    I, 


PREFACE,  .  .  .        PAGE  i 

Memoirs  with  Notes,       -  -  .  1 

Continuation  of  the  Memoirs,  -  -  129 

Appendix  No.  L  An  Account  of  Dr.  Priest- 
ley's Discoveries   in  Chemistry, 
and  of  his  writings  on  that,  and 
other  Scientific  subjects,   -  223 

No.  2.  An  Account  of  his  Metaphy- 
sical writings,  -  -       294 


PREFACE. 


jVXy  father,  Dr.  Priestley,  having  taken  the  trou- 
ble of  writing  down  the  principal  occurrences  of  his 
life,  to  the  period  of  his  arrival  in  this  country,  that 
account  is  now  presented  to  the  public  in  the  state  in 
which  he  left  it,  one  or  two  trifling  alterations  ex- 
cepted. The  simple  unaffected  manner  in  which  it 
is  written,  will  be  deemed,  I  have  no  doubt,  far  more 
Interesting,  than  if  the  narrative  itself  had  been  made 
the  text  of  a  more  laboured  composition. 

Independent  of  the  desire,  so  universal  among 
mankind,  to  know  somewhat  of  the  private  as  well  as 
the  public  history  of  those  who  have  made  them- 
selves eminent  among  their  fellow  citizens,  the  life 
of  my  fether  is  likely  to  be  more  useful  as  well  as 
more  interesting  than  th  ose  of  the  generality  of  lite- 
rary men  ;  not  only  as  it  is  an  account  of  great  in- 
dustry combined  with  great  abilities,  successfully 
exerted  for  the  extension  of  human  improvement, 
but  because  it  aflbrds  a  striking:  proof  of  the  value 

of 


ii  PREFACE. 

of  rational  Christianity,  adopted  upon  mature  reflec- 
tion and  practiced  with  habitual  perseverance. 

Few  men  have  had  to  struggle  for  so  many  years 
with  circumstances  more  straitened  and  precarious 
than  my  father ;  few  men  have  ventured  to  attack  so 
many  or  such  inveterate  prejudices  respecting  the 
prevalent  religion  of  his  country,  or  have  advanced 
bolder  or  more  important  opinions  in  opposition  to 
the  courtly  politics  of  the  powers  that  be  ;  few  have 
had  to  encounter  more  able  opponents  in  his  literary 
career,  or  have  been  exposed  to  such  incessant  and 
vindictive  obloquy,  from  men  of  every  description, 
in  return  for  his  unremitting  exertions  in  the  cause  of 
truth ;  yet  none  have  more  uniformly  proceeded 
with  a  single  eye,  regardless  of  consequences,  to  act 
as  his  conviction  impelled  him,  and  his  conscience 
dictated.  His  conduct  brought  with  it  its  own  re- 
ward, reputation  and  respect  from  the  most  eminent 
of  his  contemporaries,  the  affectionate  attachment  of 
most  valuable  friends,  and  a  cheerfulness  of  disposi- 
tion arising  in  part  from  conscious  rectitude  which 
no  misfortunes  could  long  repress.  But  to  me  it 
seems,  that  conscious  rectitude  alone  would  hardly, 
of  itself,  have  been  able  to  support  him  under  some 

of 


PREFACE.  iii 

of  the  afflictions  he  was  doomed  to  bear.  He  had  a 
farther  resource,  to  him  never  failing  and  invaluable, 
a  firm  persuasion  of  the  benevolence  of  the  Almigh- 
ty towards  all  his  creatures,  and  the  conviction  that 
every  part  of  his  own  life,  like  every  part  of  the  whole 
system,  was  preordained  for  the  best  upon  the  whole 
of  existence.  Had  he  entertained  the  gloomy  noti- 
ons of  Calvinism  in  which  he  was  brought  up,  this 
cheering  source  of  contentment  and  resignation 
would  probably  have  failed  him,  and  irritation  and 
despondency  \»ould  have  gained  an  unhappy  ascend- 
ancy. But  by  him  the  deity  w^s  not  regarded  as  an 
avenging  tyrant,  punishing,  for  the  sake  of  punishing 
his  weak  and  imperfect  creatures,  but  as  a  wise  and 
kind  parent,  inflicting  those  corrections  only  that 
are  necessary  to  bring  our  dispositions  to  the  proper 
temper,  and  to  fit  us  for  the  highest  state  of  happiness 
of  which  our  natures  are  ultimately  capable. 

With  these  views  of  the  present  and  the  future,  it 
is  no  wonder  that  he  submitted  with  perfect  resigna- 
tion to  the  inevitable  vicissitudes  of  human  life,  and 
looked  forward  to  futurity,  as  a  period  of  existence 
when  his  capacity  for  receiving  happiness  would  be 
greater  because  his  capacity  for  communicuting  it 


would  be  enlarged. 


My 


iv  PREFACE. 

My  father's  narrative  closing  with  his  arrival  in 
this  country,  wheic  he  has  done  so  much  for  the  pro- 
motion of  useful  knowledge  of  all  kinds,  I  havecom- 
pleated  the  account  of  his  life  from  that  period  to  the 
termination  of  it.  The  Notes  have  been  added  to 
the  narrative  as  dcsireable  illustrations  of  the  passa- 
ges to  'which  they  refer. 

I  have  likewise  thought  it  proper  to  add  a  review 
of  my  father's  literary  labours,  in  order  to  give  the 
reader  a  knowledge  of  his  opinions  on  many  impor- 
tant subjects,  likewise,  of  the  share  in  the  increase  of 
human  knowledge,  v/hich  may  be  justly  ascribed  to 
his  exertions.  The  Appendices  giving  an  account  of 
his  Chemical,  Philosophical,  Metaphysical,  Political 
and  Miscellaneous  writings,  as  well  as  the  Summary 
o{  his  religious  opinions,  are  written  by  my  friend 
.Tudgc  Cooper,  formerly  of  Manchester  in  England. 
For  the  Appendix  containing  an  analysis  of  my  fa- 
lliLr's  Thcoloj'ical  \\ ritinn-s,  I  am  indebted  to  the 
Rev.  W.  Christie,  formerly  of  Montrose  in  Scot- 
land. 

The  \vork  mifi[ht  have  been  made  more  interestinq; 
as  v.ell  as  entertaining,  had  I  deemed  myself  at  lil)er- 
ty  to  lun-c  published  letters  addressed  to  my  father 

by 


PREFACE.  V 

by  persons  of  eminence  in  this  country,  as  well  as  in 
Europe.  But  those  communications  that  were  in- 
tended to  be  private,  shall  remain  so;  as  I  do  not 
think  I  have  a  right  to  amuse  the  public  either  against, 
or  without,  the  inclinations  of  those  who  confided 
their  correspondence  to   his  care. 

I  regret,  that  more  of  the  present  work  is  not  the 
production  of  my  father's  pen ;  and  I  hope  the  reader 
will  make  allowance  for  the  imperfection  of  that  por- 
tion of  it,  for  which  I  have  made  myself  responsible* 

JOSEPH  PRIESTLEY. 
Northumberland,  Pennsylvania, 
May  1st,  1805. 


MEMOIRS 

OF 

Dr.    JOSEPH    PRIESTLEY. 

[WRITTEN  BY    HIMSELF.] 


JlLAVING  thought  it  right  to  leave  behind  me 
some  account  of  my  friends  and  benefactors^  it  is  in 
a  manner  necessary  that  I  also  give  some  account  of 
•myself  y  and  as  the  like  has  been  done  by  many  per- 
sons, and  for  reasons  which  posterity  has  approved, 
I  make  no  farther  apology  for  following  their  exam- 
ple. If  my  writings  in  general  have  been  useful  to 
my  cotemporaries,  I  hope  that  this  account  of  m}^- 
selFwill  not  be  without  its  use  to  those  who  may 
come  after  me,  and  especially  in  promoting  virtue 
and  piety,  which  I  hope  I  may  say  it  has  been  my 
care  to  practice  myself,  as  it  has  been  my  business  to 
Inculcate  them  upon  others. 


2  [Memoirs  of 

My  father,  Jonas  Priestley,  was  the  youngest  son 
of  Joseph  Priestley,  a  maker  and  dresser  of  woollen 
cloth.  His  first  w  ifc,  my  mother,  was  the  only  child 
of  Joseph  Swift,  a  farmer  at  Shafton,  a  village  about 
six  miles  south  east  of  Wakefield.  By  this  wife  he 
had  six  children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters.  I, 
the  oldest,  was  born  on  the  thirteenth  of  March,  old 
style  1733,  at  Fieldhead  about  six  miles  south* 
west  of  Leeds  in  Yorkshire.  My  mother  dying  in 
in  1740,  my  father  married  again  in  1745,  and  by 
his  second  wife  had  tliiee  daughters. 

My  mother  having  children  so  fast,  I  was  very 
soon  committed  to  the  care  of  her  father,  and  with 
him  I  continued  with  little  interruption  till  my  mo- 
ther's death, 

It  is  but  little  that  I  can  recollect  of  my  mother. 
I  remember,  however,  tliat  she  was  careful  to  teach 
me  the  Assembly's  Catechism,  and  to  give  me  the 
best  instructions  the  little  time  that  I  was  at  home. 
Once  in  particular,  when  I  was  playing  with  a  pin, 
slie  asked  me  where  I  got  it  ;  and  on  telling  her 
that  I  found  it  at  my  uncle's,  who  lived  very  near  to 
my  father,  and  where  I  had  been  playing  with  my 
cousins,  she  made   me  carry   it  back  again  ;    no 

doubt 


Dr.    pRlEStLEY.'  S 

^Oubt  to  impress  my  mind,  as  it  could  not  fail  to  do, 
with  a  clear  idea  of  the  distinction  of  property,  and 
of  the  importance  of  attending  to  it.  She  died  in 
the  hard  winter  of  1739,  not  long  after  being  deli- 
vered of  my  youngest  brother  ;  and  having  dreamed 
a  little  before  her  death  that  she  was  in  a  deliehtful 
place,  which  she  particularly  described,  and  imagin- 
ed to  be  heaven,  the  last  words  she  spake,  as  my 
aunt  informed  me,  were  "  Let  me  go  to  that  fine 
"place." 

On  the  death  of  my  mother  I  was  taken  home, 
tny  brothers  taking  my  place,  and  was  sent  to  school 
in  the  neighbourhood.  But  being  without  a  mo- 
ther, and  my  father  incumbered  with  a  large  family, 
a  sister  of  my  fathers,  in  the  year  1742,  relieved  him 
of  all  care  of  me,  by  taking  me  entirely  to  herself, 
and  considering  me  as  her  child,  having  none  of  her 
own.  From  this  time  she  was  truly  a  parent  to  me 
till  her  death  in  1764. 

My  aunt  was  married  to  a  Mr.  Keighly,  a  man 
who  had  distinguished  himself  for  his  2:eal  for  religi- 
on and  for  his  public  spirit.  He  was  also  a  man  of  con- 
siderable property,  and  dying  soon  after  I  went  to  them, 
left  the  greatest  part  of  his  fortune  to  my  aunt  for 

A  2  life, 


4,  Mewo?rs  of 

life,  and   much  of  it  at    her    disposal  after  her 
death. 

By  this  truly  pious  and  excellent  woman,  who 
knew  no  other  use  of  wealth,  or  of  talents  of  any 
kind,  than  to  do  good,  and  who  never  spared  herself 
for  this  purpose,  I  was  sent  to  several  schools  in  th« 
neighbourhood,  especially  to  a  large  free  school,  un- 
der the  care  of  a  clergyman,  Mr.  Hague,  under 
whom,  at  the  age  of  twelve  or  fifteen,  I  first  began  to 
make  any  progress  in  the  Latin  Tongue,  and  ac- 
quired the  elements  of  Greek.  But  about  the  same 
time  that  I  began  to  learn  Greek  at  this  public 
school,  I  learned  Hebrew  on  holidays  of  the  dissent- 
ing minister  of  the  place,  Mr,  Kirkby,  and  upon  tlic 
removal  of  Mr.  Hague  from  the  free  school,  Mr. 
Kirkby  opening  a  school  of  his  own,  I  was  wholly 
under  his  care.  With  this  instruction  1  had  acquir- 
ed a  pretty  good  knowledge  of  the  learned  languag- 
es at  the  age  of  sixteen.  But  from  this  time  Mr. 
Kirkby's  increasing  infirmities  obliged  him  to  relin- 
quish his  school,  and  beginning  to  be  of  a  weakly 
consumptive  habit,  so  that  it  was  not  thought  ad- 
viseable  to  send  me  to  any  other  place  of  education, 
I  was  left  to  conduct  my  studies  as  well  as  I  could 

till 


Dr.  Priestley.  $ 

till  I  went  to  the  academy  at  Daventry  in  the  year 
1752. 

From  the  time  I  discovered  any  fondness  for  books 
my  aunt  entertained  hopes  of  my  being  a  minister, 
and  I  readily  entered  into  her  views.  But  my  ill 
health  obliged  me  to  turn  my  thoughts  another  way, 
and  with  a  view  to  trade,  I  learned  the  modern  lan- 
guages, French,  Italian,  and  High  Dutch  without  a 
master  ;  and  in  the  first  and  last  of  them  I  translat- 
ed, and  wrote  letters,  for  an  uncle  of  mine  who  was  a 
merchant,  and  who  intended  to  put  me  into  a  count.^ 
ing  house  in  Lisbon.  A  house  was  actually  engaged 
to  receive  me  there,  and  every  thing  was  nearly  ready 
for  my  undertaking  the  vo3^age.  But  getting  better* 
health  my  former  destination  for  the  ministry  was 
resumed,  and  I  was  sent  to  Daventry,  to  study  un- 
der Mr.  Ashworth,  afterwards  Dr.  Ashworth. 

Looking  back,  as  I  often  do,  upon  this  period  of 
my  life,  I  see  the  greatest  reason  to  be  thankful  to 
God  for  the  pious  care  of  my  parents  and  friends,  in 
giving  me  religious  instruction.  My  mother  was  a 
woman  of  exemplary  piety,  and  my  father  also  had  a 
strong  sense  of  religion,  praying  with  his  family 
morning  and  evening,  and  carefully  teaching  his  chil- 

A  3  ^^^^ 


6  Memoirs  of 

di^n  and  servants  the  Assembly's  Catechism,  which 
was  all  the  system  of  which  he  had  any  knowledge. 
In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  became  very  fond  of 
Mr.  Whitfield's  writings,  and  other  works  of  a  simi- 
lar kind,  having  been  brought  up  in  the  principles  of 
Calvinism,  and  adopting  them,  but  without  ever  giv- 
ing much  attention  to  matters  of  speculation^  and  en- 
tcrtiiining  no  bigotted  aversion  to  those  who  differed 
from  him  on  the  subject. 

The  same  was  the  case  with  my  excellent  aunt, 
she  was  truly  Calvinistic  in  principle,  but  was  far 
from  confining  salvation  to  those  who  thought  as 
she  did  on  religious  subjects.  Being  left  in  good 
circumstances,  her  home  was  the  resort  of  all  the 
dissenting  ministers  in  the  neighbourhood  without 
distinction,  and  those  who  were  the  most  obnoxious 
on  account  of  their  heresy  were  almost  as  welcome  to 
her,  if  she  thought  them  honest  and  good  men, 
(which  she  was  not  unwilling  to  do)  as  any  others. 

The  most  heretical  ministers  in  the  neighbourhood 
were  Mr.  Graham  of  Halifax,  and  Mr.  Walker  of 
Leeds,  but  they  were  frequently  my  Aunt's  guests. 
With  the  former  of  these  my  inhiimacy  grew  with  my 
years,  but  chicfiy  after  I  became  a  preacher.     We 

kept 


Dr.  Priestley.  7 

kept  up  a  correspondence  to  the  last,  thinking  alike 
on  most  subjects.  To  him  I  dedicated  my  Disqui- 
sitions on  Matter  and  Spirit^  and  when  he  died,  he 
left  me  his  manuscripts,  his  Polyglot  bible,  and 
two  hundred  pounds.  Besides  being  a  rational 
christian,  he  was  an  excellent  classical  scholar,  and 
wrote  Latin  with  great  facility  and  elegance.  He 
frequently  wrote  to  me  in  that  language. 

Thus  I  was  brought  up  with  sentiments  of  piety, 
but  without  bigotry,  and  having  from  my  earliest 
years  given  much  attention  to  the  subject  of  religi- 
on, I  was  as  much  confirmed  as  I  well  could  be 
in  the  principles  of  Calvinism,  all  the  books  that 
came  in  my  wa}'  having  that  tendency. 

The  weakness  of  my  constitution,  which  often 
led  me  to  hink  that  I  should  not  be  long  livi;d,  con- 
tributed to  give  my  mind  a  still  more  serious  turn , 
and  having  read  many  books  of  experiences^  and  in 
conseqaence  believing  that  a  new  birth  produced  by 
the  immediate  agciicy  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  Mas  ne- 
cessary to  salvation,  and  not  being  able  to  satisfy 
myself  that  I  had  experienced  any  thing  of  the  kind, 
I  felt  occasionally  such  distress  of  mand  as  it  is  not 
in  my  power  to  describe,  and  which  I  still  look  back 

A  4  upon 


9  Memoirs  of. 

upon  with  horror.  Notwithstanding  I  had  nothing 
very  material  to  reproach  m3'self  with,  I  often  con- 
cluded that  God  had  forsaken  me,  and  that  mine  was 
like  the  case  of  Francis  Spira,  to  whom,  as  he  ima- 
gined, repentance  and  salvation  were  denied.  In 
that  state  of  mind  I  remember  reading  the  account 
of  the  man  in  the  iron  cage  in  the  Pilgrim's  Progress 
■\\ith  the  greatest  perturbation. 

I  imagine  diat  even  these  conflicts  of  mind  were 
not  without  their  use,  as  they  led  me  to  think  habi- 
tually of  God  and  a  future  state.  And  though  my 
feelings  were  then,  no  doubt,  too  full  of  terror, 
what  remained  of  them  was  a  deep  reverence  for  di- 
vine things,  and  in  time  a  pleasing  satisfaction 
which  can  never  be  effaced,  and  I  hope,  was  strength- 
ened as  I  have  advanced  in  life,  and  acquired  more 
rational  notions  of  religion.  The  remembrance, 
however,  of  what  I  sometimes  felt  in  that  state  of 
ignorance  and  darkness  gives  me  a  peculiar  sense  of 
the  value  of  rational  principles  of  religion,  and  of 
\\hich  I  can  give  but  an  imperfect  description  to 
others.  • 

As  trut/iy  we  cannot  doubt,  must  have  an  advan- 
tage over  erroj-j  wc  may  conclude  that  the  want  of 

tliese 


Dr.  Priestley,  9 

these  peculiar  feelings  is  compensated  by  something 
of  greater  value,  which  arises  to  others  from  always 
having  seen  things  in  a  just  and  pleasing  light ;  from 
having  always  considered  the  Supreme  Being  as  the 
kind  parent  of  all  his  offspring.  This,  however,  not 
having  been  my  case,  I  cannot  be  so  good  a  judge 
of  the  effects  of  it.  At  all  events,  we  ought  always 
to  inculcate  just  views  of  things,  assuring  ourselves 
ih2it  proper  feelings  and  right  conduct  will  be  the  con- 
sequence of  them. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  interval  between  ray  leav- 
ing the  grammar  school  and  going  to  the  academy, 
which  was  something  more  than  two  years,  I  attend- 
ed two  days  in  the  week  upon  Mr.  Haggerstone,  a 
dissenting  minister  in  the  neighbourhood,  who  had 
been  educated  under  Mr.  Maclaurin.  Of  him  I 
learned  Geometry,  Algebra  and  various  branches  of 
Mathematics,  theoretical  and  practical.  And  at  the 
same  time  I  read,  but  with  little  assistance  from  him, 
Gravesend's  Elements  of  Natural  Philosophy,  Watt's 
Logic,  Locke's  Essay  on  the  Human  Understand- 
ing, &c,  and  made  such  a  proficiency  in  other  branch- 
es of  learning,  that  when  I  was  admitted  at  the  aca- 
demy (which  was  on  Coward's  foundation)  I  was  ex- 
cused 


10  Mlmoirs  or 

puscd  all  the  studies  of  the  first  year,  and  a  great 
part  of  those  of  the  second. 

In  the  same  interval  I  spent  the  latter  part  of  eve- 
ry Aveek  with  Mr.  Thomas,  a  baptist  minister  now 
of  Bristol  but  then  of  Gildersome,  a  village  about 
four  miles  from  Leeds,  who  had  had  no  learned  edu- 
cation. Him  I  instructed  in  Hebrew,  and  by  that 
means  made  myself  a  considerable  proficient  in  that 
language.  At  the  same  time  I  learned  Chaldee  and 
Syriac,  and  just  began  to  read  Arabic.  Upon  the 
whole,  going  to  the  academy  later  than  is  usual,  and 
being  thereby  better  furnished,  I  was  qualified  to  ap- 
pear there  with  greater  advantage. 

Before  I  went  from  home  I  was  very  desirous  of 
"being  admitted  a  communicant  in  the  congregati- 
on which  I  had  always  attended,  and  the  old  minis- 
ter, as  well  as  my  Aunt,  were  as  desirous  of  it  as 
myself,  but  the  elders  of  the  Church,  who  had  the 
government  of  it,  refused  me,  because,  whsn  they 
interrogated  me  on  the  subject  of  the  sin  of  Adam, 
I  appeared  not  to  be  quite  ortliodox,  not  thinking 
that  all  the  human  race  (supposing  them  not  to  have 
any  sin  of  their  own)  were  liable  to  the  wrath  of 
God,  and  the  pains  of  hcU  for  ever,  on  account  of 

tliat 


Dr..  Priestley.  11 

that  sin  only  ;  for  such  was  the  question  that  was  put 
to  me.  Some  time  before,  having  then  no  doubt  of 
tlie  truth  of  the  doctrine,  I  well  remember  being 
much  distressed  that  I  could  not  feel  a  proper  repen- 
tance for  the  sin  of  Adam  ;  taking  it  for  granted  tliat 
without  this  it  could  not  be  forgiven  me.  Mr.  Hag- 
gerstone  above  mentioned,  was  a  little  moi'e  liberal 
than  the  members  of  the  congregation  in  which  I  was 
brought  up,  being  what  is  cabled  a  Baxierian-,* 

and 


•  BAXTERIANS,  The  famous  Non-conformist  Richard  Baxter 
who  flourished  about  the  middle  of  the  last  Century,  attempted  a  Coa- 
lition between  the  doctrines  of  Calvin  and  Arminius.  The  former 
of  these  held  that  God  from  the  beginning  had  elected  a  few  of  the 
human  race  to  be  saved,  without  reference  to  their  good  actions  in 
this  life,  and  had  left  the  rest  of  mankind  in  a  state  of  final  and  inevi- 
table  reprobation.  The  latter  was  of  opinion  that  the  Christian  dis- 
pensation fuanished  the  means  of  final  Salvation  to  all  men,  though 
the  merits  of  the  death  of  Christ  would  be  ultimately  advantageous  to 
believers  only.  Baxter,  thought  with  Calvin  that  some  among  mankind 
were  from  the  beginning  elected  unto  eternal  life,  and  gifted  from 
above  with  the  saving  grace  necessary  in  the  first  instance  to  the  se\  e- 
ral  steps  of  a  believer's  cliristian  character ;  but  he  thought  also  with 
Arminius  that  all  men  had  common  grace  imparted  to  them,  sufficient 
to  enable  tl\em  if  they  chose,  to  attain  unto  final  Salvation  by  using  tlie 
Hieans  ordained  by  Christ  and  his  Apostles.  Calvin  also  held  tlie  fi- 
nal 


ti  Memoirs  op 

and  his  general  conversation  had  a  liberal  turn,  and 
such  as  tended  to  undermine  my  prejudices.  But 
what  contributed  to  open  my  eyes  still  more  was  the 
conversation  of  a  Mr.  Walker,  from  Ashton  under 
line,  who  preached  as  a  candidate  when  our  old  mi- 
nister was  superannuated.  He  was  an  avowed  Bax- 
terian,  and  being  rejected  on  that  account  his  opini- 
ons were  much  canvassed,  and  he  being  a  guest  at 
the  house  of  my  Aunt,  we  soon  became  very  inti- 
mate, and  I  thought  I  saw  much  of  reason  in  his 
sentiments.  Thinking  farther  on  these  subjects,  I 
was,  before  I  went  to  the  academy,  an  Arminian , 
but  had  by  no  means  rejected  the  docti'inc  of  the  tri- 
nity, or  that  of  atonement. 
Though  after  I  saw  reason  to  change  my  opinions 

I  found 


nal  perseverance  of  the  Saints,  or  as  it  has  since  been  expressed  that  a 
believer  might  fall  ff)ully  but  not  finally,  whereas  Baxter  seems  to  have 
thought  tliat  not  every  one  who  had  saving  grace  imparted  to  him 
would  persevere  to  the  end,  or  as  the  Arminian  Methodists  quaintly 
express  it,  he  held  tliat  a  behever  may  fall  both  foully  and  finally.  Tlie 
compromising  doctrine  of  Baxter  may  be  seen  in  his  very  learned  and 
Unintelligible  work  entitled  Cathollck  Theology.  He  used  to  be  an 
annual  communicant  in  the  Church  cf  England  by  way  of  exemplyinjj 
his  accommodating  opinions.  T.  C- 


Dr.  PRiESTLEr.  13 

I  found  myself  incommoded  by  the  rigour  of  the 
congi'egation  with  which  I  was  connected,  I  shall  al- 
ways acknowledge  with  great  gratitude  that  I  owe 
much  to  it.  The  business  of  religion  was  effectual- 
ly attended  to  in  it.  We  were  all  catechized  in  pub- 
lic 'till  we  were  grown  up,  servants  as  well  as  o- 
thers :  the  minister  always  expounded  the  scriptures 
with  as  much  regularity  as  he  preached,  and  there 
was  hardly  a  day  in  the  week,  in  which  there  was 
not  some  meeting  of  one  or  other  part  of  the  congre- 
gation, On  one  evening  there  was  a  meeting  of  the 
young  men  for  conversation  and  prayer.  This  I  con- 
stantly attended,  praying  extempore  with  others 
when  called  upon. 

At  my  Aunt's  there  was  a  monthly  meeting  of  wo* 
men,  who  acquitted  themselves  in  prayer  as  well  as 
any  of  the  men  belonging  to  the  congregation.  Be- 
ing at  first  a  child  in  the  family,  I  was  permitted  to 
attend  their  meetings,  and  growing  up  insensibly, 
heard  them  after  I  was  capable  of  judging.  My 
Aunt  after  the  death  of  her  husband,  prayed  every 
morning  and  evening  in  her  family,  until  I  was  about 
seventeen,  when  that  duty  devolved  upon  me. 
The  Lord's  day  was  kept  v/jth  peculiar  strictness. 

No 


14  Memoirs  or 

No  victuals  were  dressed  on  that  day  in  any  family.' 
No  member  of  it  was  permitted  to  walk  out  for  re- 
creation, but  the  whole  of  the  day  was  spent  at  the 
public  meeting,  or  at  home  in  readings  meditati- 
on, and  prayer,  in  the  family  or  the  closet. 

It  was  my  custom  at  that  time  to  recollect  as  much 
as  I  could  of  the  sermons  I  heard,  and  to  commit  it 
to  writing.  This  practice  I  began  very  early,  and 
continued  it  until  I  was  able  from  the  heads  of  a  dis- 
course  to  supply  the  rest  myself.  For  not  trou- 
bling myself  to  commit  to  memory  much  of  the  am- 
plification, and  writing  at  home  almost  as  much  a» 
I  had  heard,  I  insensibly  acquired  a  habit  of  compo- 
sing with  great  readiness  ;  and  from  this  practice  I 
believe  I  have  derived  great  advantage  through  life  ; 
composition  seldom  employing  so  much  time  as 
would  be  necessary  to  write  in  long  hand  any  thing 
1  have  published. 

By  these  means,  not  being  disgusted  with  these 
strict  forms  of  religion  as  many  persons  of  better 
health  and  spirits  probably  might  have  been  (and 
on  which  account  I  am  far  from  recommending  the 
same  strictness  to  others)  I  acquired  in  early  life  a 
serious  turn  of  mind.    Among  other  things  I  had  at 

this 


Br.  Priestley.^  15 

this  time  a  great  aversion  to  Plays  and  Romances, 
so  that  I  never  read  any  works  of  this  kind  except 
Robinson  Crusoe,  until  I  went  to  the  academy.  I 
well  remember  seeing  my  brother  Timothy  reading 
a  book  of  Knight  Errantly,  and  with  great  indigna- 
tion I  snatched  it  out  of  his  hands,  and  threw  it  a- 
way.  This  brother  afterwards,  when  he  had  for 
some  time  followed  my  fathers  business  (which  was 
that  of  a  Cloth-dresser)  became,  if  possible,  more 
serious  than  I  had  been ;  and  after  an  imperfect  edu- 
cation, took  up  the  profession  of  a  minister  among 
the  Independents,  in  which  he  now  continues. 

While  I  was  at  the  Grammar  School  I  learned 
Mr.  Annet's  Short  hand^  and  thinking  I  could  sug- 
gest some  improvements  in  it,  I  wrote  to  the  Au- 
thor, and  this  was  the  beginning  of  a  coiTcspondencc 
which  lasted  several  years.  He  was,  as  I  t\tr  per- 
ceived, an  unbeliever  in  Christianity  and  a  necessari- 
an. On  this  subject  several  letters,  written  with  care 
on  both  sides,  passed  between  us,  and  these  Mr. 
Annet  often  pressed  me  to  give  him  leave  to  publish, 
but  I  constantly  refused.  I  had  undertaken  the  de- 
fence of  Philosophical  Liberty,  and  the  correspon- 
dence Mas  closed  without  my  being  convinced  of 

the 


16  MzMOlRg    OF 

ihc  fallacy  of  my  arguments,  though  upon  studyin,^ 
the  subject  regularly,  in  the  course  of  my  academi- 
cal education  afterwards,  I  became  a  confirmed  Ne- 
cessarian, and  I  have  through  life  derived,  as  I  ima- 
gine, the  greatest  advantage  from  my  full  persuasion 
of  the  truth  of  that  doctrine. 

My  Aunt,  and  all  my  relations,  being  strict  Cal- 
vinists,  it  was  their  intention  to  send  me  to  the  a- 
cademy  at  Mik-endythen  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Caw- 
der.  But,  being  at  that  time  an  Arminian,  I  reso- 
lutely opposed  it,  especially  upon  finding  that  if  I 
went  thither,  besides  giving  an  experience,  I  must 
subscribe  my  assent  to  ten  printed  articles  of  the 
strictest  calvinistic  faith,  and  repeat  it  every  six 
months.  My  opposition,  however,  would  proba- 
ble have  been  to  no  purpose,  and  I  must  have  adop- 
ted some  other  mode  of  life,  if  Mr.  Kirkby  above 
mentioned  had  not  interposed,  and  strongly  recom- 
mended the  academy  of  Dr.  Doddridge,  on  the  idea 
that  I  should  have  a  better  chance  of  being  made  a 
scholar.  He  had  received  a  good  education  him- 
self, was  a  good  classical  scholar,  and  had  no  o- 
pinion  of  the  mode  of  education  among  the  very  or- 
thodox Dissenters,  and  being  fond  of  me^  he  was 

desirous 


Dr.  Priestley.  17 

desirous  of  my  having  every  advantage  that  could  be 
procured  for  me.  My  good  Aunt,  not  belrg  a  bi- 
gotted  Calvinist,  enteied  into  his  views,  and  Dr. 
Doddridge  being  dead,  I  was  sent  to  Daventry,  and 
was  the  firit  pupil  that  entered  there.  My  Step-mo- 
ther also,  who  was  a  woman  of  good  sense,  as  well 
as  of  religion,  had  a  high  opinion  of  Dr.  Doddridge, 
having  been  sometime  housekeeper  in  his  family. 
She  had  always  recommended  his  Academy,  but 
died  before  I  went  thither. 

Three  years,  viz.  from  September  1752  to  1755, 
I  spent  at  Daventiy  with  that  peculiar  satisfaction 
with  v/hich  young  persons  of  generous  minds  usual- 
ly go  through  a  course  of  liberal  study,  in  the  socie- 
ty of  others  engaged  in  the  same  pursuits,  and  free 
from  the  cares  and  anxieties  which  seldom  fail  to 
lay  hold  on  them  when  they  come  out  into  the 
\^-orld. 

In  my  time,  the  academy  •was  in  a  state  peculiarly 
flivorable  to  the  serious  pursuit  of  truth,  as  the  stu- 
dents were  about  equally  divided  upon  every  questi- 
on of  much  importance,  such  as  Liberty  and  Necessi- 
ty, the  Sleep  of  the  soul,  and  all  the  articles  of  theologi- 
cal orthodoxy  and  heresy ;    in  consequence  of  which 

B  all 


18  Memoirs  of 

all  these  topics  were  the  sul^ject  of  continual  disciiS' 
sion.  Our  tutors  also  were  of  different  opinions; 
Dr.  Ash  worth  taking  the  orthodox  side  of  every 
question,  and  Mr.  Clark,  the  sub-tutor,  that  of  here- 
sy,  though  always  with  the  greatest  mode'jty. 

Both  of  our  tutors  being  young,  at  least  as  tutors, 
and  some  of  the  senior  students  excelling  more  than 
they  could  pretend  to  do  in  several  branches  of  stu- 
dy,  they  indulged  us  in  the  greatest  freedoms,  so 
that  our  lectures  had  often  the  air  of  friendly  conver- 
sations on  the  subjects  to  which  they  related.     We 
were  permitted  to   ask  A\hatevcr  questions,   and  to 
make  whatever  remarks,  we  pleased ;   and  wc  did 
it  with  the  greatest,  but  without  any  offensive,  free- 
dom.    The  general  plan  of  our  studies,  which  may 
be  seen  in  Dr.  Doddridge's  published  lectures,  was 
exceedingly  favourable  to  free  enquirj-^,  as  we  \^ere 
referred  to  authors  on  both  sides  of  every  question, 
and  were  even  required  to  give  an  account  of  them. 
It  was  also  expected  that  we  should  abridge  the  most 
important  of  them  for  our  future  use.     The  public 
library  contained  all  the  books  to  which  we  were 
referred. 

It  ^^as  a  reference  to  Dr.  Hartley's  Observations 

on 


Dr.  Priestley.  19 

on  Man  in  the  course  of  our  Lectures,  that  first 
brought  me  acquainted  with  that  performance,  which 
immediately  engaged  my  closest  attention,  and  pro- 
duced the  greatest,  and  in  my  opinion  the  most  fa- 
vourable effect  on  my  general  turn  of  thinking  thro* 
life.  It  estabhshed  me  in  the  belief  of  the  doctrine 
of  Necessity,  which  I  first  learned  from  Collins;  it 
greatly  improved  that  disposition  to  piety  which  I 
brought  to  the  academy,  and  freed  it  from  that  ri- 
gour with  which  it  had  been  tinctured.  Indeed,  I 
do  not  know  whether  the  consideration  of  Dr.  Hart- 
ley's theory  contributes  more  to  enlighten  the  mind, 
or  improve  the  heart  ;  it  effects  both  in  so  super-emi- 
nent a  degree. 

In  this  situation,  I  saw  reason  to  embrace  what  is 
generally  called  the  heterodox  side  of  almost  every 
question.*     But  notwithstanding  this,   and  though 

Dr. 


*  It  will  be  seen  in  the  course  of  these  memoirs  that  from  time  to 
time  *s  deeper  reflection  and  more  extensive  reading  incited  him,  he 
«aw  reason  to  give  up  almost  all  the  peculiar  theological  and  meta- 
physical opinions  whicli  he  liad  imbibed  in  early  youth  ;  some  of  them 
with  considerable  difficulty,  and  all  of  them  at  the  evident  risk  of  con. 
siderable  obloquy  from  tliose  whom  he  highly  respected,  as  well 
as  from  those  on  v.hom  his  Interest  appeared  to  depend,  T.  C- 

B2 


20  Memoirs  of 

Dr.  Ashworth  was  earnestly  desirous  to  make  me  as 
orthodox  as  possible,  yet,  as  my  behaviour  was  unex- 
ceptionable, and  as  I  generally  took  his  part  in  some  lit- 
tle things  by  which  he  often  dre^v  upon  himself  the 
ill-will  of  many  of  the  students,  I  was  upon  the  whole 
a  favourite  with  him.     I  kept  up  more  or  less  of  a 
correspondence  with  Dr.  Ashworth  till  the  time  of 
his  death,  though  much  more  so  with  Mr.   Clark. 
This  continued  till  the  very  week  of  his  melancholy- 
death  by  a  fall  from  his  horse  at  Birmingham,  where 
he  was  minister. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  freedom  of  our  specula- 
tions and  debates,  the  extreme  of  heresy  among  us 
was  Arianism ;  and  all  of  us,  I  believe,  left  the  aca- 
demy with  a  belief,  more  or  less  qualified,  of  the  doc- 
trine of  atonement. 

Warm  friendships  never  fail  to  be  contracted  at 
places  of  liberal  education  ;  and  when  they  are  well 
chosen  arc  of  singular  use;  Such  was  mine  with 
Mr.  Alexander  of  Birmingham.  We  were  in  the 
same  class,  and  during  the  first  year  occupied  the 
same  room.  By  engagements  between  ourselves  mc 
ro.-e  early,  and  dispatched  many  articles  of  business 
every  da}'.     One  of  them,  a^  hich  continued  all  the 

time 


Dr.  Priestley.  21 

time  we  were  at  the  academy,  was  to  read  every  day 
ten  foiio  pages  in  some  Greek  author,  and  generally 
a  Greek  play  in  the  course  of  the  week  besides.  By 
this  means  we  became  very  well  acquainted  with 
that  language,  and  with  the  most  valuable  authors  in 
it.  This  exercise  we  continued  long  after  we  left 
the  academy,  communicating  to  each  other  by  letter 
an  account  of  what  we  read.  My  life  becoming 
more  occupied  than  his,  he  continued  his  application 
to  Greek  longer  than  I  dkl,  so  that  before  his  death 
he  was,  I  imagine,  one  of  the  best  Greek  scholars  in 
this  or  any  other  country.  My  attention  was  always 
more  drawn  to  mathematical  and  philosophical  stu- 
dies than  his  was. 

These  voluntary  engagements  were  the  more  ne- 
cessary, in  the  course  of  our  academical  studies,  as 
there  was  then  no  provision  made  for  teaching  the 
learned  languages.  We  had  even  no  compositions, 
or  orations,  in  Latin.  Oar  course  of  lectures  was 
also  defective  in  containing  no  lectures  on  the  scrip- 
tures, or  on  ecclesiastical  history,  aud  by  the  stu- 
dents in  general  (and  Mr.  Alexander  and  myself 
were  no  exceptions)  commentators  in  general  and 
ecclesiastical  history  also,  were  held  in  contempt. 

B  3  On 


22  Memoirs  of 

On  lea^•ing  the  academy  he  ^vent  to  study  under  his 
uncle  Dr.  Benson,  and  with  him  learned  to  value 
tlie  critical  study  of  the  scriptures  so  much,  that  at 
length  he  almost  confined  his  attention  to  them. 

My  other  particular  friends  among  my  fellow  stu- 
dents were  Mr.  Henry  Holland,  of  my  own  class, 
Messrs.  Whitehead,  Smiihson,  Kotherham,  and 
Scholcficld  m  that  abo'se  me,  and  Mr.  Taylor  in  that 
below  me.  \Yi\h  all  these  I  kept  up  more  or  less  of 
a  correspondence,  and  our  friendship  was  terminated 
only  by  the  death  of  those  who  are  now  dead,  viz. 
the  three  first  named  of  these  six,  and  I  hope  it  will 
subsist  to  the  same  period  with  those  who  now 
survive. 

All  the  while  I  was  at  the  academy  I  never  lost 
sight  of  the  great  object  of  my  studies,  which  was 
the  duties  of  a  christian  minister,  and  there  it  was 
that  I  laid  the  general  plan  which  I  have  executed 
since.  Particularly  I  there  composed  the  first  co- 
py of  my  Institutes  of  Natural  and  Rei:ealed  Religi- 
oHj  Mr.  Clark,  to  ^hom  I  communicated  my 
scheme,  carefully  perusing  every  section  of  it,  and 
talking  over  the  subject  of  it  with  me. 

But  I  was  mucli  discouraged  even  then  with  the 

impedi- 


Dr.  Priestley.  23 

impediment  in  my  speech,  which  I  inherited  from  my 
family,  and  which  still  attends  me.  Sometimes  I 
absolutely  stammered,  and  my  anxiety  about  it  was 
the  cause  of  much  distress  to  me.  However,  like 
St.  Paul's  thorn  in  the  flesh,  I  hope  it  has  not  been 
without  its  use.  Without  some  such  check  as  this, 
I  might  have  been  disputatious  in  company,  or 
might  have  been  seduced  by  the  love  of  popuhu-  ap- 
plause as  a  preacher :  whereas  my  conversation  and 
my  deliverery  in  the  pulpit  having  nothing  in  them 
that  was  generally  striking,  I  hope  I  have  been  more 
attentive  to  qualifications  of  a  superior  kind. 

It  is  not,  I  believe,  usual  for  young  persons  in 
dissenting  academies  to  think  much  of  their  future 
situations  in  life.  Indeed,  we  are  happily  preclud- 
ed from  that  by  the  impossibility  of  succeeding  in 
any  applicition  for  particular  places.  We  often,  in- 
deed, amused  ourselves  with  the  idea  of  our  disper- 
sion in  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  after  living  so  happi- 
ly together;  and  used  to  propose  plans  of  meeting 
at  certain  times,  and  smile  at  the  different  appear- 
ance we  should  probably  make  after  being  ten  or 
twenty  years  settled  in  the  world.  But  nothing  of 
this  kind  was  ever  seriously  resolved  upon  by  us. 

B  4  For 


24  Memoirs  of 

For  my  OAvn  part,  I  can  truly  say  I  had  very  little 
ambition,  except  to  distinguish  myself  by  my  appli- 
cation to  the  studies  proper  to  my  profession  ;  and 
I  cheerfully  listened  to  the  first  proposal  that  my  tu- 
tor made  to  me,  in  consequence  of  an  applicatiorr 
made  to  him,  to  provide  a  minister  for  the  people  of 
Needharn  Market  in  Suffolk,  though  it  was  very 
remote  from  my  friends  in  Yorkshire,  and  a  very  in- 
considerable place. 

When  I  went  to  preach  at  Needham  as  a  candi- 
date, I  found  a  small  congregation,  about  an  hun- 
dred people,  under  a  Mr.  Meadows,  who  was  su- 
perannuated They  had  been  without  a  minister  the 
pieceding  year,  on  account  of  the  smallness  of  the 
salary ;  but  there  being  some  respectable  and  agieeable 
families  among  them,  I  flattered  myself  that  I  should 
be  useful  and  happy  in  the  place,  and  therefore  ac- 
cepted the  unanimous  invitation  to  be  assistant  to 
Mr.  Meadows,  with  a  view  to  succeed  liim  when 
he  died.     He  was  a  man  of  some  fortune. 

This  congregation  had  been  used  to  receive  as- 
sistance from  both  the  Presbyterian  and  Independent 
funds;  but  upon  my  telling  them  that  I  did  not 
cliubc  to  have  any  thing  to  do  v\  ith  the  Independents, 

and 


Dr.  Priestley.  25 

and  asking  them  whether  they  were  able  to  make  up 
the  salary  they  promised  me  (which  was  forty  pounds 
per  annum)  without  any  aid  from  the  latter  fund, 
they  assured  me  they  could.  I  soon,  however, 
found  tliat  they  deceived  themselves  ;  for  the  most 
that  I  ever  received  from  them  was  in  the  proportion 
of  about  thirty  pounds  per  annum,  when  the  ex- 
pence  of  my  board  exceeded  twenty  pounds. 

Notwithstanding  this,  every  thing  else  for  the  first 
half  year  appeared  very  promising,  and  I  was  happy 
in  the  success  of  my  schemes  for  promoting  the  in- 
terest of  religion  in  the  place.  I  catechised  the  chil- 
dren, though  there  were  not  many,  using  Dr.  Watt's 
Catechism  ;  and  I  opened  my  lectures  on  the  theory 
of  religion  from  the  institutes ^  which  I  had  composed 
at  the  academy,  admitting  all  persons  to  attend  them 
without  distinction  of  sex  or  age  ;  but  in  this  I  soon 
found  that  I  had  acted  imprudently.  A  minister  in 
that  neighbourghood  had  been  obliged  to  leave  his 
place  on  account  of  Arianism,  and  though  nothing 
had  been  said  to  me  on  the  subject,  and  from  the 
people  so  readily  consenting  to  give  up  the  indepen- 
dent fund,  I  thought  they  could  not  have  much  bi- 
gotry among  them,  I  found  that  when  I  came  to 

treat 


26  Memoirs  of 

treat  of  the  Unity  of  God ^  merely  as  an  article  of  reli- 
gion, several  of  my  audience  were  attentive  to  no- 
thing but  the  soundness  of  my  faith  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  Trinity.  • 

Also,  though  I  had  made  it  amle  to  myself  to  in- 
troduce nothing  that  could  lead  to  controversy  into 
the  pulpit ;  yet  making  no  secret  of  my  real  opinions 
in  conversation,  it  was  soon  found  that  I  was  an 
Arian.     From  the  time  of  this  discovery  my  hearers 
fell  off  apace,  especially  as  the   old  minister  took  a 
decided  part  against   me.     The  principal  families, 
however,  still  continued  with  me ;  but  notwithstand- 
ing this,  my  salary  fell  far  short  of  thirty  pounds  per 
annum,  and  if  it  had  not  been  for  Dr.  Benson  and 
Dr.   Kippis,  especially  the  former,  procuring  me 
now  and  then  an  extraordinary   five  pounds  from 
different  charities,  I  do  not  believe  that  I  could  have 
subsisted.  I  shall  always  remember  their  kindness  to 
mc,  at  a  time  when  I  stood  in  so  much  need  of  it. 

When  I  was  in  this  situation,  a  neighbouring  mi- 
nister whose  intimate  friend  had  conformed  to  the 
church  of  England,  talked  to  me  on  that  subject.  He 
himself,  I  perceived,  had  no  great  objection  to  it,  but 
rejecting  the  proposal,  as  a  thing  that  I  could  not 
think  of,  he  never  menticPAd  it  to  me  any  more. 

To 


Dr.  Priestley.  27 

To  these  difficulties,  arising  from  the  sentiments 
of  my  congregation,  was  added  that  of  the  faikire  of 
all  remittances  from  my  aunt,  owing  in  part  to  the  ill 
offices  of  my  orthodox  relations ;  but  chiefly  to  her 
being  exhausted  by  her  liberality  to  others,  and  think- 
ing that  when  I  was  settled  in  the  world,  I  ought  to 
be  no  longer  burdensome  to  her.  Together  with  me 
she  had  brought  up  a  niece,  who  was  almost  her  on- 
ly companion,  and  being  deformed,  could  not  have 
subsisted  without  the  greatest  part,  at  least,  of  all  she 
had  to  bequeath.  In  consequence  of  these  circum- 
stances, tho'  my  aunt  had  always  assured  me  that,  if 
I  chose  to  be  a  minister,  she  would  leave  me  indepen 
dent  of  the  profession,  I  was  satisfied  she  was  not  able 
to  perform  her  promise,  and  freely  consented  to  her 
leaving  all  she  had  to  my  cousin  ;  I  had  only  a  silver 
tankard  as  a  token  of  her  remembrance.  She  had 
spared  no  expence  in  my  education,  and  that  was  do- 
ing more  for  me  than  giving  me  an  estate. 

But  what  contributed  greatly  to  my  distress  was  the 
impediment  in  my  speech^  which  had  increased  so 
much  as  to  make  preaching  very  painful,  and  took 
from  me  all  chance  of  recommending  myself  to  any 
better  place.     In  this  state,  hearing  of  the  proposal  of 

one 


28  M 


EMOIRS     OF 


one  Mr.  Angier  to  cure  all  defects  of  speech,  I  pre- 
vailed upon  my  aunt  to  enable  me  to  pay  his  price, 
which  v.as  twenty  guineas ;  and  this  was  the  first  oc- 
"fcasion  of  my  visiting  London.  Accordingly,  I  at- 
tended  him  about  a  month,  taking  an  oath  not  to  re- 
veal his  method,  and  I  received  some  temporary  be- 
nefit ;  but  soon  relapsed  again,  and  spoke  worse  than 
ever.  When  I  went  to  London  it  was  in  company 
with  Mr.  Smithson,  who  was  settled  at  Harlestow  n 
in  Norfolk.  By  him  I  was  introduced  to  Dr.  Kippis 
and  Dr.  Benson,  and  by  the  latter  to  Dr.  Price,  but 
not  at  that  time. 

At  Needham  I  felt  the  effect  of  a  low  despised  situ- 
ation, togetlier  with  diat  arising  from  the  want  of  po- 
pular  talents.  There  were  several  vacaiicies.in  con- 
gregations in  that  neighbourhood,  wh'ere  my  senti- 
tnents  would  have  been  no  objection  to  me,  but  I  was 
never  thought  of.  Even  my  next  neighbours,  whose 
sentiments  were  as  free  as  my  own,  and  kno\^  n  to  be 
so,  declined  making  exchanges  with  me,  \\hich, 
when  I  left  that  part  of  the  country,  he  ackno^^  kdgcd 
was  not  owing  to  any  dislike  his  people  had  to  me  as 
heretical,  but  for  other  reasons,  the  more  genteel  part, 
of  his  hearers  always  absenting  themselves  when  they 

heard 


Dr.  Priestley.  20 

heard  I  was  to  preach  for  him.  But  visiting  that 
country  some  years  afterwards,  when  1  had  raised 
myself  to  some  degree  of  notice  in  the  world,  and 
being  invited  to  preach  ir|  that  very  pulpit,  the  same 
people  crowded  to  hear  me,  tho'  my  elocution  was 
not  much  improved,  and  they  professed  to  admire  one 
of  the  same  discourses  they  had  formerly  despised. 

Notwithstandinp-  tliese  unfavorable  circumstances, 
I  was  far  from  being  unhappy  at  Needham.  I  was 
boarded  in  a  family  from  which  I  receiv'd  much  sa- 
tisfaction, I  firmly  believed  that  a  wise  providence 
was  disposing  every  thiiig  for  the  best,  and  I  applied 
with  great  assiduity  to  my  studies,  which  were  classi- 
cal, mathematical  and  theological.  These  required 
but  few  books.  As  to  Experimental  Philosophy,  I 
had  always  cultivated  an  acquaintance  with  it,  but  I 
had  not  the  means  of  prosecuting  it. 

With  respect  to  miscellaneous  reading,  I  Vvas  pretty 
well  supplied  by  means  of  a  library  belonging  to  Mr. 
S.  Alexander,  a  quaker,*   to  which  I  had  the  freest 

access. 


*  QUAKERS.  That  instances  of  liberality  of  se;\timent  wilh  re- 
«pect  to  religious  opinion  are  fi-equeuily  to  be  found  among  the  Q<iaker» 
there  c;La  Le  no  doubt,  buttliis  is  ceituinly  no  purt  of  their  character 

as 


30  Memoirs  of 

access.  Here  it  was  that  I  was  first  acquainted  with 
any  person  of  that  persuasion ;  and  I  must  acknow- 
ledge my  obligation  to  many  of  them  in  every  future 
stage  of  my  life.  I  have  met  with  the  noblest  instan- 
ces of  liberality  of  sentiment  and  the  truest  genero- 
sity among  them. 

My  studies  however,  were  chiefly  theological. 
Having  left  the  academy,  as  I  have  observed,  with  a 
qualified  belief  of  the  doctrine  oi  Atonement,  such  as 
is  found  in  Mr.  Tomkin's  book,  entitled,  Jesus  Christ 

the 


as  a  Sect,  Thomas  LetchworUi  one  of  the  most  acute  and  ingenious 
of  their  preachers  at  Wandsworth  near  London,  who  from  tlie  v\ritlng-9 
of  Dr.  Priestley  had  become  a  firm  convert  to  his  Unitarian  opinions, 
informed  me  that  the  expression  of  those  opinions  would  be  attended 
with  certain  expulsion  from  the  Society.  Very  lately  Hannah  Bernard 
a  female  public  friend  who  went  from  America  to  England,  was  prohi- 
bited from  preaching  by  the  Society,  on  account  of  her  Unitarian  doc- 

> 
ti'ines. 

Tliomas  Letchworlh  has  been  dead  many  years.  In  the  short  con- 
test on  the  question  of  liberty  and  necessity  which  was  occasioned  by 
Toplady's  life  of  Jerome  Zanchius,  he  wro?e  a  good  defence  of  tlift 
doctrine  of  nrcessity  signed  Phllarctes in  answer  to  one  from  a  disciple 
of  Fletcher's  of  Madely,  »mder  the  signature  of  Phllaleutheros.  There 
is  a  trifling  account  of  him  containing  no  information,  by  one  Will...ni 
Matthew^.  T    C. 


Dr.  Priestley,  51 

the  Mediator^  I  was  desirous  of  getting  some  more 
definite  ideas  on  the  subject,  and  with  that  view  set 
myself  to  peruse  the  whole  of  the  old  and  new  testa- 
ment, and  to  collect  from  them  all  the  texts  that  ap- 
peared to  me  to  have  any  relation  to  the  subject. 
This  I  therefore  did  with  the  greatest  care,  arranging 
them  under  a  great  variety  of  heads.     At  the  same 
time  I  did  not  fail  to  note  ^woh  general  considera- 
tions as  occurred  to  me  while  I  was  thus  employed. 
The  consequence  of  this  was,  what  I  had  no  apprehen- 
sion of  when  I  began  the  work,  viz.  a  full  persuasion 
that  the  doctrine  of  Atonement,  even  in  its  most  qua- 
lified sense,    had  no  countenance  either  from  scrip- 
ture or  reason.     Satisfied  of  this,  I  proceeded  to  di- 
gest my  observations  into  a  regular  treatise,  which  a 
friend  of  mine,  without  mentioning  my  name,  sub- 
mitted to  the  perusal  of  Dr.  Fleming  and  Dr.  Lard- 
ner.     In  consequence  of  this,   I  was  urged  by  them 
to  publish  the  greater  part  of  what  I  had  written. 
But  being  then  about  to  leave  Needham,  I  desired 
them  to  do  whatever  they  thought  proper  widi  re- 
spect to  it,  and  they  published  about  half  of  my  piece, 
under  the  title  of  the  Doctrine  of  Remission^  ^c. 
This  circumstance  introduced  me  to  the  acquaint- 
ance 


32  Memoirs  of 

ance  of  Dr.  Lardner,  whom  I  always  culled  upon 
when  I  visited  London.  The  last  time  I  saw  him, 
which  was  iittie  more  than  a  year  before  liis  death, 
having  by  letter  requested  him  to  give  me  some  as- 
sistance with  respect  to  the  history  I  then  prepared 
to  write  of  the  Corruptions  of  Christianity,  and  espe- 
cially that  article  of  it,  he  took  down  a  large  bundle 
of  pamphlets,  and  turning  them  over  at  length  shew- 
ing mc  my  own  ;  said,  "  This  contains  my  senti- 
ments on  the  subject."  He  had  then  forgot  that 
I  wrote  it,  and  on  my  remarking  it,  he  shook  his 
head,  and  said  that  his  memory  began  to  fail  him  ; 
and  that  he  had  taken  me  for  another  person.  He 
was  then  at  the  ad\'anced  age  of  ninety  one.  This 
anecdote  is  trifling  in  itself,  but  it  relates  to  a  great 
and  good  man, 

I  have  observed  that  Dr.  Lardner  only  wished  to 
publish  a  part  of  the  treatise  which  my  friend  put 
into  his  hand.  The  other  part  of  it  contained  re- 
marks on  the  reasoning  of  the  apostle  of  Paul,  wliich 
he  could  not  by  any  means  approve.  They  were, 
therefore,  omitted  in  tliis  publication.  But  the  at- 
tenticn  which  I  gave  to  tlie  writings  of  this  apostle  at 
the  time  that  I  examined  them,  in  order  to  collect 

passa- 


Dr.  Priestley.  33 

passages  relating  to  the  dortrine  of  atonement,  satis- 
fied me  that  his  reasoning  was  in  many  places  far 
from  being  conclusive ;  and  in  a  separate  work  I  ex- 
amined every  passage  in  which  his  reasoning  appear- 
ed to  me  to  be  defective,  or  his  conclusions  ill  sup- 
ported;  and  I  thought  them  to  be  pretty  numer^ 
ous. 

At  that  time  I  had  not  read  any  commentary  on  the 
scriptures,  except  that  of  Mr.  Henry  when  I  was 
young.  However,  seeing  so  much  reason  to  be  dis- 
satisfied with  the  apostle  Paul  as  a  reasoner,  I  read 
Dr.  Tay'lor''s  paraphrase  on  the  epistle  to  the  Ro- 
mans ;  but  it  gave  me  no  sort  of  satisfaction  ;  and 
his  general  Key  to  the  epistles  still  less.  I  therefore 
at  that  time  wrote  some  remarks  on  it,  which  were  a 
long  time  after  published  in  the  Theological  Reposito- 
ry  Vol.  4. 

As  I  found  that  Dr.  Lardner  did  not  at  all  relish 
any  of  my  observations  on  the  imperfections  of  the 
sacred  writers,  I  did  not  put  this  treatise  into  his 
hands ;  but  I  shewed  it  to  some  of  my  younger 
fiiends,  and  also  to  Dr.  Kippis ;  and  he  advised  me 
to  publish  it  under  the  character  of  an  unbeliever, 
in  order  to  draw  the  more  attention  to  it.     This  I 

C  did 


34  Memoirs  of 

did  not  chuse,  having  always  had  a  great  aversion  to 
assume  any  character  that  was  not  my  own,  even  so 
much  as  disputing  for  the  sake  of  discovering  ti'uth. 
I  cannot  ever  say  that  I  was  quite  reconciled  to  the 
idea  of  writing  to  a  fictitious  person,  as  in  my  Utters 
to  a  philosophical  unbeliever,  though  nothing  can  be 
more  innocent,  or  somctin^ies  more  proper ;  our 
Saviour's  parables  implying  a  much  greater  depar- 
ture from  strict  truth  than  those  letters  do.  I  there- 
fore wrote  the  book  with  great  freedom,  indeed,  but 
as  a  christian,  and  an  admirer  of  the  apostle  Paul,  as 
I  aluays  was  in  other  respects. 

When  I  was  at  Nantwich  I  sent  this  treatise  to 
tlie  press ;  but  when  nine  sheets  were  printed  off, 
Dr.  Kippis  dissuaded  me  from  proceeding,  or  from 
publishing  any  thing  of  the  kind,  until  I  should  be 
more  known,  and  my  character  better  established. 
I  therefore  desisted  ;  but  va  hen  I  opened  the  theolo- 
gical Repository,  I  inserted  in  that  work  every  thing 
that  was  of  much  consequence  in  tiic  Oliver,  in  order 
to  its  being  submitted  to  the  examination  of  learned 
christians.  Accordingly  these  communications 
were  particularly  animadverted  upon  by  Mr.  Willet 
of  Newcastle,  under  the  signature  of  W.  W.     But 

I  can- 


Dr.  Priestley.  S'S 

I  cannot  say  that  his  remarks  gave  me  much  satis- 
faction. 

When  I  was  at  Needham  I  likewise  drew  up  a 
treatise  on  the  doctrine  of  divine  influence^  having 
collected  a  number  of  texts  for  that  purpose,  and  ar- 
ranged them  under  proper  heads,  as  I  had  done  those 
relating  to  the  doctrine  of  atonement.  But  I  pub- 
lished nothing;  relating  to  it  until  I  made  use  of  some 
of  the  observations  in  my  sermon  on  that  subject, 
delivered  at  an  ordination,  and  publislied  many  years 
afterwards. 

While  I  was  in  this  retired  situation,  I  had,  in  con- 
sequence of  much  pains  and  thought,  become  per- 
suaded of  the  falsity  of  the  doctrine  of  atonement,  of 
the  inspiration  of  the  authors  of  the  books  of  scripture 
as  writers,  and  of  all  idea  of  supernatural  influence, 
except  for  the  purpose  of  miracles.  But  I  was  still 
an  Arian,  having  never  turned  my  attention  to  the 
Socinian  doctrine,  aud  contenting  myself  with  seeing 
the  absurdity  of  the  trinitarian  system. 

Another  task  that  I  imnosed  on  myself,  and  in 
part  executed  at  Needham,  was  an  accurate  compa- 
rison of  the  Hebrew  text  of  the  hagiographa  and  the 
prophets  with  the  version  of  the  Septuagint,  noting 

C2  all 


36  Memoirs   oi 

all  the  variations,  &c.  This  I  had  about  half  finish- 
ed before  I  left  that  place  ;  and  I  never  resumed  it, 
(Except  to  do  that  occasionally  for  particular  passages, 
which  I  then  began,  though  with  many  disadvanta- 
ges, with  a  design  to  go  through  the  whole.  I  had 
no  Polyglot  Bible,  and  could  have  little  help  from 
tl)e  Ia|30ur§  of  others. 

The  most  Jeamed  of  my  acquaintance  in  this  situ- 
ation was  Mr.  Scott  of  Ipswich,  who  was  well  vers- 
ed in  the  Oriental  languages,  especially  the  Arabic . 
But  though  he  was  flir  from  being  Calvinistical,  he 
gave  me  no  encouragement  in  the  very  free  enqiii- 
rics  which  I  then  entered  upon.  Being  excluded 
froin  all  communication  with  the  more  orthodox 
mijiisters  in  that  part  of  the  country,  all  my  acquaint- 
ance among  the  dissenting  ministers,  besides  IMr. 
Scott,  were  Mr.  Taylor  of  Stow-market,  Mr.  Dick- 
insp}i  of  Diss,  and  Mr.  Smithson  ofHarlestone  ;  and 
it  is  rather  remarkable,  that  we  all  left  that  country 
in  the  course  of  the  same  year  ;  Mr.  Taylor  remov- 
ing to  Carter's  lane  in  London,  Mr.  Dickinson  to 
Sheffield,  and  Mr.  Smithson  to  Nottingham. 

But  I  was  very   happy  in  a  great  degree  of  inti- 
macy with  Mr.  Chauvet,  the  rector  of  Stow- market. 

He 


Dr.  Priestley.  57 

He  was  descended  of  French  parents ;  and  I  think 
was  not  born  in  England,  Whilst  he  lived  we  \vere 
never  long  without  seeing  each  other.  But  he  was 
subject  to  great  unevenness  of  spirits,  sometimes 
the  most  chearful  man  living,  and  at  other  time^ 
most  deplorably  low.  In  one  of  these  fits  he  at 
length  put  an  end  to  his  life.  I  heard  afterwards 
that  he  had  at  one  time  been  confined  for  insanity, 
and  had  even  made  the  same  attempt  some  time 
before. 

Like  most  other  young  men  of  a  liberal  education, 
I  had  conceived  a  great  aversion  to  the  business  of  a 
schoolmaster,  and  had  often  said,  that  I  would  have 
recourse  to  any  thing  else  for  a  maintenance  in  prefer- 
ence to  it.  But  having  no  other  resource,  I  was  at 
length  compelled  by  necessity  to  make  some  attbthpt 
in  that  way ;  and  for  this  purpose  I  printed  and  dis- 
tributed Proposals^  but  without  any  effect.  Not 
that  I  was  thought  to  be  unqualified  for  this  employ- 
ment, but  because  I  was  not  orthodox.  I  had  pro- 
posed to  teach  the  classics,  mathematics,  Sec.  for  half 
a  guinea  per  quarter,  and  to  board  the  pupils  in  the 
house  with  myself  for  tweh'e  guineas  per  annum. 

Finding  this  scheme  not  to  answer,  I  proposed  to 
C  3         .  give 


38  Memoirs  of 

give Icctarcs  to  grovAn  persons  in  such  branches  of 
fecienc*  as  I  could  conveniently  procure  the  means  of 
doii  g ;  and  I  began  v  ith  reading  about  tw  elve  lec- 
tures on  the  use  of  the  C/c^c^,  at  half  a  guinea.  I 
had  one  course  often  hearers,  which  did  something 
more  than  pay  for  my  globes ;  and  I  should  have 
proceeded  in  this  A\ay,  adding  to  my  apparatus  as  I 
should  have  been  able  to  afford  it,  if  I  had  not  left 
that  place,  which  was  in  the  follow  ing  manner. 

My  situation  being  well  knoA\  n  to  my  friends,  Mr. 
Gill,  a  distant  relation  by  my  mother,  who  had  taken 
much  notice  of  me  before  I  went  to  the  academy,  and 
had  often  lent  me  books,  procured  me  an  invitation 
to  preach  as  a  candidate  at  ShelHcld,  on  the  resigna- 
tion of  Mr.  Wadsworth.  Accordingly  I  did  preach 
as  a  candidate ,  but  though  my  opinions  were  no  ob- 
jection to  me  there,  I  w  as  not  approved.  But  Mr. 
Haynes,  the  other  minister,  perceiving  that  I  had  no 
chance  at  Sheffield,  told  me  that  he  could  recommend 
me  to  a  congregation  at  Nantwich  in  Cheshire,  where 
he  himself  had  been  settled  ;  and  as  it  was  at  a  great 
distance  from  Needham,  he  would  endeavour  to  pro- 
cure me  an  invitation  to  preach  there  for  a  year  cer- 
tain, This  he  did,  an:  I  gladly  accepting  of  it,  remo- 
ved 


Dr.  Priestley.    ,  39 

ved  from  Needham  ,  going  thence  to  London  by  sea, 
to  save  cxpence.';  This  was  in  1758,  after  having 
been  at  Needham  just  three  years.* 

At 


•  It  Is  about  sixty  miles  fi-om  Needham  to  London,  so  that  the  roads 
nrnit  have  been  in  a.  bad  state  to  render  a  water  passage  more  eligible 
than  by  land.  The  first  turnpike  in  England  was  authorized  by  an 
act  of  Ch.  II.  1663  but  the  system  was  not  adopted  with  spirit  until 
near  the  middle  of  the  last  oenturj'.  The  manufacturing  inland  towns 
of  Great  Britain,  «uch  as  Manchester,  Leeds,  Halifax,  &c.  chiefly 
carried  on  their  business  through  th  medium  of  travelling  pedlars, 
and  afterwards  on  pack  horses.  The  journey  in  this  manner  from 
Manchester  to  London  occupied  a  fortnight ;  and  it  was  not  unusual 
for  a  trader  going. the  first  time  himself  on  this  expedition  to  take  the 
prudent  precaution  of  making  his  will.  At  present  the  mail  stage  per- 
forms the  journey  in  about  a  day  and  a  half.  In  the  beginning  of  this 
century  (as  Dr.  Alkin  in  his  history  of  Manchester  observes)  it  was 
thought  a  most  arduous  undertaking  to  make  a  public  road  over  the 
hills  that  separate  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire  ;  now,  they  arc  pureed 
by  three  navigable  canals.  Indeed  the  prosperous  state  of  British 
manufactures  .ind  commerce,  seems  to  have  originated  and  progressed 
T/lth  the  adoption  of  turnpikes  and  canals.  They  facilitate  not  merely 
the  carnage  and  Interchange  of  heavy  materials  necessary  to  machine- 
ry, buttliey  make  personal  intercourse  cheap,  speedy  and  universal ; 
they  thus  furnish  the  means  of  seeing  and  communicating  improve- 
ments, and  of  observing  in  what  way  one  manufacture  may  be  brought 
to  bear  upon  another  widely  diflcrcnt  in  its  kind,  We  are  not  yet 
sufficiently  av.'sje  of  their  importance  in  America,  even  to  the  interests 
«fagriculture,  T.  C 

C4 


40  Memoirs  of 

At  Nantwich  I  found  a  good  natured  friendly  peo- 
ple, with  whom  I  lived  three  years  verj'  happily  ;  and 
in  this  situation  I  heard  nothing  of  those  controversies 
w  hich  had  been  the  topics  of  almost  every  conversa- 
tion in  Suffolk  ;  and  the  consequence  was  that  I  gave 
little  attention  to  them  myself.  Indeed  it  was  hardly 
in  my  power  to  do  it,  on  account  of  my  engagement 
with  a  school,  which  I  was  soon  able  to  establish, 
and  to  which  I  gave  almost  all  my  attention  ;  and  in 
this  employment,  contrary  to  my  expectations,  I 
found  the  greatest  satisfaction,  notwithstanding  the 
confinement  and  labour  attending  it. 

My  school  generally  consisted  of  about  thirty  boys, 
and  I  had  a  separate  room  for  abouthalf  a  dozen  youns^ 
ladies.  Thus  I  ^^as  employed  from  seven  in  the 
morning  untill  four  in  the  afternoon,  without  any  in- 
terval except  one  hour  for  dinner,  and  I  never  gave  a 
holiday  on  any  consideration,  the  red  letter  days,  as 
they  are  called,  excepted.  Immediately  after  this  em- 
ployment in  my  own  school  rooms,  I  went  to  teach  in 
the  family  of  Mr.  Tomkinson,  an  eminent  attorney, 
and  a  man  of  large  fortune,  whose  recommendation 
was  of  the  greatest  service  to  me  ;  and  here  I  conti- 
nued until  ?cvcn  in  the  evening.     I  had  tkcrefore  but 

little 


Dr.   Priestley.  41 

little  leisure  for  reading  or  for  improving  myself  in 
any  way,  except  what  necessarily  arose  from  my  em- 
,  ployment. 

Being  engaged  in  the  business  of  a  schoolmaster, 
I  made  it  my  study  to  regulate  it  in  the  best  manner, 
and  I  think  I  may  say  with  truth,  that  in  no  school 
was  more  business  done,  or  with  more  satisfaction, 
either  to  the  master,  or  the  scholars,  than  in  this  of 
mine.  Many  of  my  scholars  are  probably  living  and 
I  am  confident  that  they  will  say  that  this  is  no  vain 
boast. 

At  Needham  I  was  barely  able  with  the  greatest  e- 
conomy  to  keep  out  of  debt  (though  this  I  always  made 
a  point  of  doing  at  all  events)  but  at  Nantwich  my 
school  soon  enabled  me  to  purchase  a  k\v  books,  and 
some  philosophical  instruments,  as  a  small  air  pump, 
an  electrical  machine,  &:c.  These  I  taught  my  scho- 
lars in  the  highest  class  to  keep  in  order,  and  make 
use  of,  and  by  entertaining  their  parents  and  friends 
with  experiments,  in  which  the  scholars  were  gene- 
rally the  operators,  and  sometimes  the  lecturers  too, 
I  considerably  extended  the  reputation  of  my  school ; 
though  I  had  no  other  object  originally  than  gratifying 
my  own  taste.     I  had  no  leisure,  ho\\'ever,  to  make 

any 


42  Memoirs  oj 

any  original  experiments  until  many  years  afler  this. 
time. 

As  there  were  few  children  in  the  congregation 
(which  did  not  consist  of  more  than  sixty  persons, 
and  a  great  proportion  of  them  travelling  Scotchmen) 
there  was  no  scope  for  exertion  ^^ith  recpect  to  my 
duty-  as  a  minister.  I  therefore  contented  myself 
with  giving  the  people  what  assistance  I  could  at 
their  own  houses,  where  there  were  }^oung  persons  ; 
and  I  added  very  few  sermons  to  those  w  hich  I  had 
composed  at  Netdhuni,  where  I  never  failed  to  make 
at  least  one  ever}-  week. 

Being  boarded  with  Mr.  Eddowes,  a  verj'  socia- 
ble and  sensible  man,  and  at  the  same  time  the  per- 
son of  the  greatest  property  in  the  congregation,  and 
who  v/as  fond  of  music,  I  was  induced  to  learn  to 
play  a  little  on  the  English  flute,  as  the  easiest  in- 
strument ;  and  though  I  was  never  a  proficient,  in  it, 
my  playing  contributed  more  or  less  to  my  amuse- 
ment many  years  of  my  life.  I  w  ould  recommend 
the  knowledge  and  practice  of  music  10  all  studious 
persons  ;  and  it  will  be  better  for  them,  if,  like  my- 
self, they  should  have  no  veiy  fine  ear,  or  exquisite 
taste  ;    as  by  tLis  means  they  w  ill  be  more  ea-.  ily 

pleased!. 


Dr.   Phie&tley.  43 

pleased,  and  be  less  apt  to  be  offended  when  the  per- 
formances they  hear  are  but  indifferent. 

At  Nantvvich  I  had  hardly  any  literary  acquaint- 
ance besides  Mr.  Brercton,  a  clergyman  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, who  had  a  taste  for  astronomy,  philoso- 
phy, and  literature  in  genenl.  I  often  slept  at  his 
house,  in  a  room  to  which  he  gave  my  name.  But 
his  conduct  afterwards  was  unworthy  of  his  profes- 
sion. 

Of  dissenting  ministers  I  saw  most  of  Mr.  Keay 
of  Whitchurch,  and  Dr.  Harwood,  who  lived  and 
had  a  school  at  Congleton,  preaching  alternately  at 
Leek  and  Wheelock,  the  latter  place  about  ten  miles 
from  Nantvvich.  Being  both  of  us  schoolmasters, 
and  having  in  some  respect  the  same  pursuits,  we 
made  exchanges  for  the  sake  of  spending  a  Sunday 
evening  together  every  six  weeks  in  the  summer 
time.  He  was  a  good  classical  scholar,  and  a  very 
entertaining  companion. 

In  my  congregation  there  was  (out  of  the  house 
in  Vv'hich  I  \vas  boarded)  hardly  more  than  one  fa- 
mily in  which  I  could  spend  a  leisure  hour  with 
much  satisfaction,  and  that  was  Mr.  James  Cald- 
wall's,  a  Scotchman.     Indeed,  several  of  the  travel- 

lins: 


44  Memoirs   o¥ 

ling  Scotchmen  who  frequented  the  place,  but  made 
no  long  stay  at  any  time,  were  men  of  very  good 
sense ;  and  what  I  thought  extraordinary,  not  one 
of  them  was  at  all  Calvinistical. 

My  engagements  in  teaching  allowed  me  but  lit- 
tle time  for  composing  any  thing  while  I  was  at  Nan- 
twich.  There,  however,  I  recomposed  my  Observa- 
tions on  the  character  and  reasoning  of  the  apostle 
Pauly  as  mentioned  before.  For  the  use  of  my 
school  I  then  wrote  an  English  grammer*  on  a  new 
plan,  leaving  out  all  such  technical  terms  as  were 
borrowed  from  other  languages,  and  had  no  corres- 
ponding  modifications  in  ours,  as  the  future  tense, 
&c.  and  to  this  I  afterwards  subjoined  Obseriiations 
for  the  use  of  proficients  in  the  language ^\  from  the 
notes  which  I  collected  at  Warrington  ;  where,  be- 
ing tutor  in  the  languages  and  Belles  Letters,  I  gave 
particular  attention  to  the  English  language,  and  in- 
tended 

•  Printed  in  1761. 

Ij  Printed  in  1772  at  London.  His  lectures  on  the  TJieory  of  I,:iii- 
guagc  and  Universal  Grammar  were  printed  the  same  year  ai  War- 
rington. David  Hume  was  made  sensible  of  the  Gallicisms  and  Pe- 
culiarities of  liis  Ktile  by  readirg'  tliis  Grammar;  He  acknowledged 
it  to  Mr.  Griffith  tJie  Bookseller,  wlio  mentioned  it  to  my  father. 


Dr.  Priestljey.  45 

tended  to  have  composed  a  large  treatise  on  the 
structure  and  present  state  of  it.  But  dropping  the 
scheme  in  another  situation,  I  lately  gave  such  parts 
of  my  collection  as  I  had  made  no  use  of  to  Mr. 
Herbert  Croft  of  Oxford,  on  his  communicating  to 
me  his  design  of  compiling  a  Dictionary  and  Gram- 
mar of  our  language. 

',  The  academy  at  Warrington  was  instituted  when  I 
was  at  Needham,  and  Mr.  Clark  knowing  the  attenti- 
on that  I  had  given  to  the  learned  languages  when  I 
was  at  Daventry,  had  then  joined  with  Dr.  Benson 
and  Dr.  Taylor  in  recommending  me  as  tutor  in  the 
languages.  But  Mr.  (afterward  Dr.)  Aikin,  whose 
qualifications  were  superior  to  mine,  was  justly  pre- 
fered  to  me.  However,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Taylor, 
and  the  advancement  of  Mr.  Aikin  to  be  tutor  in  di- 
vinity, I  was  invited  to  succeed  him.  This  I  accep- 
ted, though  my  school  promised  to  be  more  gainful 
to  me.  But  my  employment  at  Warrington  would 
be  more  liberal,  and  less  painful.  It  was  also  a  means 
of  extending  my  connections.  But,  as  I  told  the 
persons  wno  brought  me  the  invitation,  viz.  Mr. 
Seddon  and  ?.lr.  Holland  of  Bolton,  I  should  have 
preferred  the  office  of  teaching  the  mathematics  and 

natural 


i6  Memoirs  op 

natural  philosophy,  for  which  I  had  at  that  time  a 
great  predilection. 

.  My  removal  to  Warrington  was  in  September, 
1761,  after  a  residence  of  just  three  years  at  Nant\\  ich. 
In  this  new  situation  I  continued  six  years,  and  in 
the  second  year  I  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Isaac 
Wilkinson,  an  Ironmaster  near  Wrexham  in  Waleg, 
with  whose  flimily  I  had  became  acquainted  in'coft- 
sequence  of  having  the  youngest  son,  William,  at 
my  school  at  Nantwich.  This  proved  a  very  suita- 
ble and  happy  connection,  my  wife  being  a  woman  of 
an  excellent  understanding,  much  improved  by  rea- 
ding,  of  great  fortitude  and  strength  of  mind,  and  of 
a  temper  in  the  highest  degree  affectionate  and  gene- 
rous ;  feeling  strongly  for  others,  and  little  for  herself. 
Also,  greatly  excelling  in  every  thing  relating  to 
household  affairs,  she  entirely  relieved  me  of  all  con- 
cern of  that  kind,  which  "allowed  me  to  give  all  my 
time  to  the  prosecution  of  my  studies,  and  the  other 
duties  of  my  station.  And  though,  inconsequence 
of  her  father  becoming  impoverished,  and  wholly  de- 
pendent on  his  children,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life, 
I  had  little  fortune  with  her,  I  unexpectedly  found  a 
great^rcsource  in  her  two  brothers,  who  had  become 

wealthy. 


Dr.  PRiESTtEY.  47 

wealthy,  especially  the  elder  of  them.  At  Warring- 
ton I  had  a  daughter,  Sarah,  '-ho  was  afterwards  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  William  Finch  of  Heath  forge  near 
Dudley. 

Though  at  the  time  of  my  removal  to  Warrington  I 
had  no  particular  fondness  for  the  studies  relating  to 
my  profession  then,  I  applied  to  them  with  great  assi- 
duity ;  and  besides  composing  courses  oi  Lectures 
en  the  theory  of  Language,  and  on  Oratory  and  Criti- 
cism,  on  w  hich  my  predecessor  had  lectured,  I  mtro. 
d\ictd  lectures  on  history  and  general  policy,  on  the 
laws  and  constitutions  of  England,  and  on  the  history 
of  England.  This  I  did  \a  consequence  of  observing 
that,  though  most  of  our  pupils  were  young  men 
designed  for  situations  in  civil  and  active  life,  every 
article  in  the  plan  of  their  education  was  adapted  to 
tl\e  learned  professions. 

In  order  to  recommend  such  studies  as  I  introdu- 
ced, I  composed  an  essay  on  a  course  of  liberal  educa- 
tion for  civil  and  active  life,  with  syllabuses  of  my 
three  nev/  courses  of  lectures ;  and  Dr.  Brown  hav- 
ing just  then  published  a  plan  of  education,  in  which 
he  recommended  it  to  be  undertaken  by  the  state,  I 
added  some  remarks  on  his  treatise.^  shewing  how  ini- 
mical 


48  Memoirs  of 

mical  it  was  to  liberty,  and  the  natural  rights  of  pa- 
rents. This  leading  mc  to  consider  the  subject  of 
civil  and  political  liberty,  I  published  my  thoughts 
on  it,  in  an  essay  on  government^  which  in  a  second 
edition  I  much  enlarged,  including  in  it  what  I  wTote 
in  answer  to  Dr.  Balguy,  on  church  authority,  as 
well  as  my  animadversions  on  Dr.  Brown. 

My  Lectures  on  the  theory  of  language  and  unhersal 
grammar  were  printed  for  the  use  of  the  students,  but 
ihey  were  not  published.  Those  on  Oratory  and 
Criticism  I  published  when  I  was  with  Lord  Shel  ■ 
burne,  and  those  on  History  and  general  policy  are 
now  printed,  and  about  to  be  published.* 

Finding  no  public  exercises  at  Warrington,  I  intro- 
duced them  there ,  so  that  afterwards  every  Satur- 
day the  tutors,  all  the  students,  and  often  strangers, 
were  assembled  to  hear  English  and  Latin  composi- 
tions, and  sometimes  to  hear  the  delivei  y  of  speeches, 
and  the  exhibition  of  scenes  in  plays.  It  m  as  my 
province  to  teach  elocution,  and  also  Logic,  and 
Hebrew.     The  first  of  these  I  retained  ;  but  after  a 

year 


•  This  work  has  been  reprinted  in  Pliilad.  Iphla  witli  additions,  par- 
ticularl;-  (.fa  cl;r.pirr  onUie  govcnm)cnt  ol'tlic  United  States- 


Dr.  Priestley.  40 

ye,ar  or  two  I  exchanged  the  two  last  articles  with 
Dr.  Aikin  for  the  civil  law,  and  one  year  I  gave  a 
course  of  lectures  in  anatomy. 

With  a  view  to  lead  tlie  students  to  a  facility  in 
writing  English,  I  encouraged  them  to  write  in  verse. 
This  I  did  not  with  any  design  to  n^iake  them  poets, 
l^ut  t»  give  them  a  greater  facility  in  writing  prose , 
^nd  this  method  I  would  recommend  to  all  tutors. 
I  was  myself  far  from  having  any  pretension  to  the 
character  of  a  poet ;  but  in  the  early  part  of  my  life  I 
was  a  great  versifier,  and  this,  I  beheve,  as  well  as 
my  custom  of  uTiting  after  preachers,  mentioned  be- 
fore, contiibuted  to  the  ease  with  which  I  always 
wrote  prose.  Mrs.  Barbauld  has  told  me  that  it  was 
the  perusal  of  some  verses  of  mine  that  first  induced 
her  to  write  any  thing  in  verse,  so  that  this  country  is 
in  some  measure  indebted  to  me  for  one  of  the  best 
poets  it  can  boast  of.  Several  of  her  first  poems 
were  written  when  she  was  in  my  house,  on  occasi- 
ons tliat  occurred  while  she  was  there. 

It  was  wlnle  I  was  at  Warrington  that  I  published 
my  Chan  of  Biography^  though  I  had  begun  to  con- 
struct itat  Nantvvich.  Lord  Willoughby  of  Parham, 
who  lived  in  Lancashire,  being  pleased  with  the  idea 

D  of 


50  Memoirs  of 

of  it,  I,  with  his  consent,  inscribed  it  to  him ;  but 
he  died  before  the  publication  of  it :  The  Chart  of 
History^  corresponding  to  it,  I  drew  up  some  time  af- 
ter at  Leeds. 

I  was  in  this  situation  when,  going  to  London,* 
and  being  introduced  to  Dr.  Price,  Mr.  Canton, 
Dr.  Watson,  (the  Physician,)  and  Dr.  Frank!in,I  wat 
led  to  attend  to  the  subject  of  experimental  philoso- 
phy more  than  I  had  done  before ;  and  having  com- 
posed all  the  Lectures  I  had  occasion  to  deliver  and 
finding  myself  at  liberty  for  any  undertaking,  I  men- 
tioned  to  Dr.  Franklin  an  idea  that  had  occurred  to 
zne  of  WTiting  the  history  of  discoveries  in  Electrici- 
ty, M  hich  had  been  his  favourite  study.  This  I  told 
him  might  be  an  useful  work,  and  tliat  I  would  wil. 
lingly  undertake  it,  provided  I  could  be  furnished 
with  the  books  necessary  for  die  purpose.  This  he 
readily  undertook,  and  my  other  friends  assisting 
him  in  it,  I  set  about  the  work,  without  having  the 

least 

•  He  always  spent  one  month  in  every  year  in  London  which  waj 

of  great  use  to  him.     He  saw  and  heard  a  g^eat  deal.     He  generally 

Unade  additions  to  his  library  and  his  chemical  apparatus.       A   new 

turn  was  frequently  given  to  his  ideas.    New  and  useful  acquaintao* 

c^  were  forxnedi  and  old  ones  confirmed. 


DR.pRIESTLKYr  S^, 

least  idea  of  doing  any  thing  more  than  writing  a 
distinct  and  methodical  account  of  all  that  had  been 
done  by  others.  Having,  however,  a  pretty  good . 
machine,  I  was  led,  in  the  course  of  my  writing  the 
history,  to  endeavour  to  ascertain  several  facts  which 
were  disputed ;  and  this  led  me  by  degrees  into  a 
large  field  of  original  experiments,  in  which  I  spar- 
ed no  expence  that  I  could  possibly  furnish* 

These  experiments  employed  a  great  proportion  of 
my  leisure  time  ;  and  yet  before  the  complete  expi- 
ration of  the  year  in  which  I  gave  the  plan  of  my 
w,ork  to  Dr.  Franklin,  I  sent  him  a  copy  of  it  in 
print.  In  the  same  year  five  hours  of  every  day 
were  employed  in  lectures,  public  «r  private,  and 
one  two  months  vacation  I  spent  chiefly  at  Bristol, 
on  a  visit  to  my  father-in-law. 

This  I  do  not  mention  as  a  subject  of  boasting. 
For  many  persons  have  done  more  in  the  same  time ; 
but  as  an  answer  to  those  who  have  objected  to  some 
of  my  later  writings,  as  hasty  performances.  For 
none  of  my  publications  were  better  received  than 
this  History  of  Electricity^  which  was  the  most  hasty 
of  them  all.  However,  whether  my  publications 
have  taken  up  more  or  less  time,  I  am  confident  that 

D  ^  more 


f^  Memoirs  of  "* 

more  would  not  have  contributed  to  their  perfection, 
m  any  essential  particular;  and  about  anything  far- 
ther I  have  never  been  very  solicitous.  My  object 
was  not  to  acquire  tlic  character  of  a  fine  viriter,  but 
of  an  useful  one.  I  can  also  truly  say  that  gain  was 
jicver  the  chief  object  of  any  of  my  publications.  Se- 
veral of  them  were  written  with  the  prospect  of  cer- 
tain loss. 

During  the  course  of  my  electrical  experiments  in 
this  year  I  kept  up  a  constant  correspondence  with 
Dr.  Franklin,  and  the  rest  of  my  philosophical  friends 
in  London  ;  and  my  letters  circulated  among  them 
all,  as  also  every  part  of  my  History  as  it  was  trans- 
cribed. This  correspondence  would  have  made  a 
considerable  volume,  and  it  took  up  much  time ;  but 
it  was  of  great  use  with  respect  to  the  accuracy  of 
my  experiments,  and  the  perfection  of  my  work. 

After  the  publication  of  my  Chart  of  Biography, 
Dr.  Percival  of  Manchester,  then  a  student  at  Edin- 
burgh, procured  me  the  title  of  Doctor  of  laws 
from  that  university ;  and  not  long  after  my  new 
experiments  in  electricity  were  the  means  of  intro- 
ducing me  into  the  Royal  Society,  with  the  recom- 
mendation of  Dr.  Franklin,  Dr.  Watson,  Mr.  Can- 
ton, and  Dr.  Price. 

In 


Dr.  Priestley.  53 

In  the  whole  time  of  my  being  at  Warrington  I 
was  singularly  happy  in  the  society  of  my  fellow  tu- 
tors,* and  of  Mr.  Scddon,  the  minister  of  the  place. 
We  drank  tea  together  every  Saturday,  and  our  con- 
versation was  equally  instructive  and  pleasing.  I  often 
thought  it  not  a  little  extraordinary,  that  four  persons, 
who  had  no  previous  knowledge  of  each  other,  should 
have  been  brought  to  unite  in  conducting  such  a 
scheme  as  this,  and  all  be  zealous  necessarians,  as 
we  were.  We  were  likewise  all  Arians,  and  the  on- 
ly subject  of  much  consequence  on  which  we  dif- 
fered respected  the  doctrine  of  atonement,  concern- 
ing which  Dr.  Aikin  held  some  obscure  notions. 
Accordingly,  this  was  frequently  the  topic  of  our 
friendly  conversations.  The  only  Socinian  in  the 
neighbourhood  was  Mr.  Seddon  of  Manchester; 
and  we  all  wondered  at  him.  But  then  we  never 
entered  into  any  particular  examination  of  the  subject. 

Receiving  some  of  the  pupils  into  my  own  house, 

I  wasr 

•  At  Warrington  he  had  for  colleagues  and  succeBsor.-j,  Dr.  John 
Taylor,  author  of  tlie  Hebrew  Corxordance  and  cf  several  otlier 
works,  on  Original  Sin,  Atonement,  8;c.  Dr.  Aikiii  the  Elder,  Dr.  Rein, 
told  Forsterthe  Naturalis:  and  traveller,  Dr.  Enfield  and  Mr.  Vv^alkcr- 

D3 


i3[4  '  Mewoirs  of 

I  was  by  this  means  led  to  form  some  valuable 
friendships, butespecially  with  Mr.  Samuel  Vaughan, 
a  friendship  which  has  continued  hitherto,  has  in  a 
manner  connected  our  families,  and  will,  I  doubt 
not,  continue  through  life.  The  t^vo  eldest  of  his 
sons  were  boarded  with  me. 

The  tutors  having  sufficient  society  among  them- 
selves, we  had  not  much  acquaintance  out  of  the 
academy.  Sometimes,  however,  I  made  an  excur- 
sion to  the  towns  in  the  neighbourhood.  At  Liver- 
-  pool  I  was  always  received  by  Mr.  Bentley,  after- 
wards partner  \\  ith  Mr.  Wedgwood,  a  man  of  ex- 
cellent taste  improved  understanding,  and  a  good 
disposition,  but  an  unbeliever  in  Christianity,  which 
was  therefore  often  the  subject  of  our  conversation. 
He  was  then  a  widower,  and  we  generally,  and  con- 
trary to  my  usual  custom,  sat  up  late.  At  Man. 
Chester  I  was  always  the  guest  of  Mr.  Potter,  whose 
son  Thomas  was  boaidcd  with  me.  He  was  one  of 
tlie  worthiest  men  that  ever  lived.  At  X^howbent  I 
was  much  acquainted  with  Mr.  Mort,  a  man  equal 
ly  distinguished  by  his  chearfulness  and  liberality 
of  sentiment. 

Of  the  ministers  in  the  neighbourhood,  I  recoikct 

wiih 


Dr.  Priestley.'  i^ 

with  much  satisfaction  the  interviews  I  had  with 
Mr.  Godwin  of  Gataker,  Mr.  Holland  of  Bolton, 
and  Dr.  Enfield  of  Liverpool,  afterwards  tutor  at 
Warrington. 

Though  all  the  tutors  in  my  time  lived  in  the 
most  perfect  harmony,  though  we  all  exerted  our- 
selves to  the  utmost,  and  there  was  no  complaint  of 
want  of  discipline,  the  academy  did  not  flourish. 
There  had  been  an  unhappy  difference  between  Dr. 
Taylor  and  the  trustees,  in  consequence  of  which 
all  his  friends,  who  were  numerous,  were  our  ene- 
mies ;  and  too  many  of  the  subscribers,  being 
probably  weary  of  the  subscription,  were  willing  to 
lay  hold  of  any  pretence  for  dropping  it,  and  of  jus» 
tifying  their  conduct  afterwards. 

It  is  possible  that  in  time  we  might  have  overcome 
the  prejudices  we  laboured  under,  but  there  being 
no  prospect  of  things  being  any  better,  and  my  wife 
having  very  bad  health,  on  her  account  chiefly  I 
wished  for  a  removal,  though  nothing  could  be  more 
agreeable  to  me  at  the  time  than  the  whole  of  my 
employment,  and  all  the  laborious  part  of  it  was 
over.  The  terms  also  on  which  we  took  boarders, 
viz.  15  £.  per  annum,  and  my  salary  being  only 

D4  IQO;^* 


Ift  Memoirs  of 

JOO  jf .  per  annam  with  a  house,  it  was  not  possible, 
even  living-  with  the  greatest  frugality,  to  make  any 
provision  for  a  family.  I  was  there  six  years,  most 
laboriously  employed,  for  nothing  more  than  a  bare 
aubsibtence.  I  therefore  listened  to  an  invitation  to 
take  the  charge  of  the  congregation  of  Mill-hill  cha- 
pel at  Leeds,  where  I  was  pretty  well  known,  and 
thither  I  removed  in  September  1767. 

Though  v\  hile  I  was  at  Warrington  it  was  no  part 
'   of  my  duty  to  preach,  I  had  from  choice  continued 
tlie  practice  ;    and  wishing   to  keep  up  the  charac- 
ter of  a  dissenting  minister,  I  chose  to  be  ordained 
w^uie  1  was  diere  -,  and  th.ough  I  v/as  far  from  having 
eonquercd  my  tendency  to  stammer,  and  probably^, 
never  bhall  bt  able  to  do  itcfieclually,  I  had,  by  tak-. 
ing  much  pains,  improved  my  pronunciation  some 
time  before  I  left  Nantwich  ,  where  for  the  two  first 
years  this  im[:>ediment  had  increased  so  much,  that. 
I  once  infoniitd  tb>e  people,  that  I  must  give  up  the 
business  of  preaching,  and  confine  myself  to  my 
school.     However,  by  making  a  practice  of  reading, 
very  loud  and  very  slow  every  day,  I  at  length  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  m  some  measure  the  better  of  this 
dtxlxt ,  but  I  am  still  obliged  occuLicnally  to  have 
recourse  to  the  same  expedient. 

At 


Dr.  Priestley.  57 

At  Leeds  I  continued  six  j^ears  very  happy  with 
a  liberal,  friendly,  and  harmonious  congregation, 
to  whom  my  services  (of  which  I  was  not  sparing) 
were  very  acceptable.  Here  I  had  no  unreasonable 
prej-fidices  to  contend  with,  so  that  I  had  full  scope 
fcr  every  Ivind  of  exertion  ;  and  I  can  truly  say  that 
I  always  considered  the  office  of  a  christian  minister 
as  the  most  honourable  of  any  upon  earth,  and  in 
the  studies  proper  to  it  I  always  took  the  greatest 
pleasure. 

Li  this  situation  I  naturally  resumed  my  applica- 
tion to  speculative  theology,  which  had  occupied 
me  at  NeedhaiU;  and  vihich  had  been  interrupted  by 
the  business  oi  teachi.ig  at  Nantwich  and  Warring- 
ton. By  reading  with  care  Dr.  Lardner''s  letter  on 
the  logoSy  I  became  what  is  called  a  Socinian  soon 
after  my  settlement  at  Leed^ ;  and  alter  giving  the 
closest  attention  to  the  subject,  I  have  seen  more  and 
more  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  that  opinion  to  this 
day,  and  likewise  to  be  more  impressed  with  the 
idea  of  its  importance. 

On  reading  Mr.  Mann's  Dissertation  on  the  times 
of  the  birth  and  death  of  Christ,  I  was  convinced 
that  hs.  was  right  in  his  opinion  of  our  Saviour's 

ministry 


58  Memoirs  of 

xn\ni^»ry  having  continued  little  more  than  one  year, 
and  on  this  plan  I  drew  out  a  Harmony  of  the gos* 
pels,  the  outline  of  m  hich  I  first  published  in  the 
Thtologivsal  Repository,  and  afterwards  separately 
and  at  lai  g^e,  both  in  Greek  and  English,  with  Notes, 
and  an  occasional  Paraphrase.  In  the  same  work 
I  publir;hed  my  Essay  on  the  doctrine  of  Atonement^ 
improved  from  the  tract  published  by  Dr.  Lardner, 
and  also  my  animadversions  on  the  reasoning  of  the 
apostle  Paul. 

The  plan  of  this  Repository  occured  to  me  on 
seeing  some  notes  that  Mr.  Turner  of  Wakefield 
had  drawn  up  on  several  passages  of  scripture,  which 
I  was  concerned  to  think  should  be  lost.  He  very 
much  approved  of  my  proposal  of  an  occasional 
publication,  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  such  ori- 
ginal observations  as  could  otherwise  probably  ne- 
ver see  the  light.  Of  this  work  I  published  three 
volumes  while  I  was  at  Leeds,  and  he  never  failed 
to  give  me  an  article  for  every  number  of  which 
they  were  composed. 

Giving  particular  attention  to  the  duties  of  my 
office,  I  wrote  several  tracts  for  the  use  of  my  conr 
gregationi  as  two  Catechisms,  an  Address  to  mas- 
ters 


Dr.  Priestley.  59 

iers  of  families  on  the  subject  of  family  prayer,  2i 
discourse  on  the  Lord^s  Supper,  and  on  Church  disci- 
pline, and  Institutes  of  Natural  and  Rei}ealed  religion. 
Here  I  formed  three  classes  of  Catechumens,  and 
took  great  pleasure  in  instructing  them  in  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion.  In  this  respect  I  hope  my  exam- 
ple has  been  of  use  in  other  congregations. 

The  first  of  my  controversial  treatises  was  written 
here  in  reply  to  some  angry  remarks  on  my  dis- 
course on  the  Lord's  Supper  by  Mr.  Venn,  a  cler- 
gyman in  the  neighbourhood.  I  also  wrote  remarks 
on  Dr.  Balguy'^s  sermon  on  Church  authority,  and 
on  some  paragraphs  in  Judge  Blackstone'*s  Commenta- 
ries relating  to  the  dissenters.  To  the  two  former 
no  reply  was  made ;  but  to  the  last  the  judge  replied 
in  a  small  pamphlet ;  on  which  I  addressed  a  letter 
to  him  in  the  St.  Jameses  Chronicle.  This  contro- 
versy led  me  to  print  another  pamphlet,  entitled  The 
Fri?iciples  and  Conduct  of  the  Dissenters  laith  respect 
to  the  civil  and  ecclesiastical  constitution  of  this  coun* 
try.  With  the  encouragement  of  Dr.  Price  and 
Dr.  Kippis,  I  also  wrote  an  Address  to  Frotestani 
Dissenters  as  such ;  but  without  my  name.  Seve- 
ral of  these  pamphlets  having  been  animadverted 

upon 


6Q  Memoirs   of 

upon  by  an  anonymous  acquaintance,  who  thought 
I  had  laid  too  much  stress  on  the  principles  of  the 
Dissenters,  I  wrote  a  defence  of  my  conduct  in  Leu 
ters  addressed  to  him. 

The  methodists  being  very  numerous  in  Leeds, 
and  many  of  the  lower  sort  of  my  own  hearers  listen- 
ing to  them,  I  wrote  an  Appeal  to  the  serious  profes- 
sors of  Christianity  y  an  Illustration  of  particular  texts , 
and  republished  the  Trial  of  Eliuall,  all  in  the  cheap- 
est manner  possible.  Those  small  tracts  had  a  great 
effect  in  establishing  my  hearers  in  liberal  principles 
of  religion,  and  in  a  short  time  had  a  far  more  exten- 
sive influence  than  I  could  have  imagined.  By  this 
time  more  than  thirty  thousand  copies  of  the  Appeal 
have  been  dispersed. 

Besides  these  theoretical  and  controversial  pieces, 
I  wrote  while  I  was  at  Leeds  my  Essay  on  Govern- 
ment mentioned  bclbre,  my  E^iglish  Grammar  enlar- 
ged, ?i  familiar  introduction  to  the  study  of  electricity^ 
a  treatise  on  perspective,  and  my  Chart  of  History,  and 
also  some  anonymous  pieces  in  favour  of  civil  liber- 
ty during  the  persecution  of  Mr.  Wilkes,  the  princi- 
pal of  which  was  An  Address  to  Dissenters  on  the  sub-, 
ject  of  the  difference  zvith  AiJK-rica^  which  I  wrote  at 

the 


Dr.  Priestley.  61 

the  request  of  Dr.  Franklin,  and  Dr.  Fothergil. 

But  nothing  of  a  nature  foreign  to  the  duties  of  my 
profession  engaged  my  attention  while  I  was  at  Leeds 
so  much  as  the  prosecution  of  my  experiments  rela- 
ting to  electricity^  and  especially  the  doctrine  of  air. 
The  last  I  was  led  into  in  consequence  of  inhabiting 
a  house  adjoining  to  a  public  brewery,  where  I  at  first 
amused  myself  with  making  experiments  on  the 
fixed  air  which  I  found  ready  made  in  the  process 
of  fermentation.  When  I  removed  from  that  house, 
I  was  under  the  necessity  of  making  the  fixed  air  for 
myself;  and  one  experiment  leading  to  another,  as  I 
have  distinctly  and  faithfully  noted  in  my  various 
publications  on  the  subject,  I  by  degrees  contrived  a 
convenient  apparatus  for  the  purpose,  but  of  the 
cheapest  kind. 

When  I  began  these  experiments  I  knew  very  lit- 
tle Oi  chemistry i  and  had  in  a  manner  no  idea  on  the 
subject  before  I  attended  a  course  of  chemical  lec- 
tures delivered  in  the  academy  at  Warrington  by  Dr. 
Turner*-  of  Liverpool.     But  I  have  often  thought 

that 


*  Dr.  turner  was  a  Physician  at  Liverpool :  among  his  friend? 
a  professed  Atheist.     It  wag*  Dr.  Turner  who  WTOtc  the  reply  to  Dr. 

Priestlcj'9 


S2  Memoirs  of 

that  upon  the  whole,  this  circumstance  was  no  dis. 
advantage  to  me ,    as  in  this  situation  I  was  led  to 
devise  an  apparatus,  and  processes  of  my  own,  adap-  . 
ted  to  my  peculiar  views.     Whereas,  if  I  had  been' 
previously  accustomed  to  the  usual  chemical  pro- 
cesses, I  should  not  have  so  easily  thought  of  any 
other  ;  and  without  new  modes  xjf  operation  I  should 
hardly  have  discovered  any  thing  materially  new.* 

My 

Priestley's  letters  to  a  philosophical  unbeliever  under  the  feig'ned  name 
of  Hammon.  He  was  in  his  day  a  good  practical  chemist.  I  believe 
it  was  Dr.  Turner  vho  first  invented,  or  at  least  brought  to  tolerable 
perfection,  the  art  of  copying  prints  upon  glass,  by  striking  off  impressi- 
ons with  a  coloured  solution  of  silver  and  fixing  them  on  the  glass  bj 
baking  on  ah  iron  plate  in  a  heat  sufficient  to  incorporate  the  solution 
vlth  the  glass.  Some  of  them  are  very  neatly  performed,  producing 
transparent  copies  in  a.  bright  yellow  upon  the  clear  glass. 

Dr.  Turner  was  not  merely  a  whig  but  a  republican.  In  a  friendly 
debating  society  at  Liverpool  about  the  close  of  the  American  war,  he 
observed  in  reply  to  a  speaker  who  had  been  descanting  on  the  honour 
Great'  Britain  had  gained  during  the  reign  of  his  present  Majesty, 
thatitwastrae,  we  hai'"  lost  the  Terra  frma  of  the  thirteen  colonies  in 
America,  but  we  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  having  gained  in  return,  by 
the  generalship  of  Dr.  Hcrschcl,  a  terra  incognita  of  much  greater 
fsicnt  in  nulubus .  -^  • 

•  This  necessary  attention  to  economy  also  aided  the  simplicity  of 
his  apparatus,   and  was  tlic  means  in  some  degree  of  improving  it  in 

this 


Dr.  Priestley^  63 

My  first  publication  on  the  subject  of  air  was  in 
1772.  It  was  a  small  pamphlet,  on  the  method  of 
impregnating  water  with  fixed  air ;  which  being  im- 
mediately translated  into  French,  excited  a  great  de- 
gree of  attention  to  the  subject,  and  this  was  much 
increased  by  the  publication  of  my  first  paper  of  ex- 
periments in  a  large  article  of  the  Philosophical 
Transactions  the  year  following,  for  which  I  received 
the  gold  medal  of  the  society.  My  method  of  im- 
pregnating water  with  fixed  air  was  considered  at  a 
meeting  of  the  College  of  Physicians,  before  vihom  I 
made  the  experiments,  and  by  them  it  was  recom- 
mended to  the  Lords  of  the  Admiril  (by  ^\hom  they 
had  been  summoned  for  the  purpose)  as  likely  to  be 
©fuse  in  the  sea  scurvy. 

The  only  person  in  Leeds  who  gave  much  attenti- 
on to  my  experiments  was  Mr.  Hay,  a  surgeon.  He 
was  a  zealous  methodist,  and  wrote  answers  to  some 

of 


this  important  respect.  This  plainness  of  his  apparatus  rendered  his 
experiments  easy  to  be  repeated,  and  gave  them  accuracy.  In  this  re- 
spect he  was  like  his  great  Cotemporary  Scheele,  v/hcse  discoveries 
were  made  by  means  easy  to  be  procured  r.nd  at  small  expence.  The 
FreDch  Chemists  have  adopted  a  practice  ^uitc  the  reverse.      T.  C. 


64  Memoirs  of 

of  my  theological  tracts ;  but  \\t  always  conversed 
with  the  greatest  freedom  on  philosoj.hical  subjects, 
without  mentioning  any  thing  relating  to  theology. 
When  I  left  Leeds,  he  begged  of  me  the  earthen 
trough  in  which  I  had  made  all  my  experiments  on 
air  while  I  was  there.  It  was  such  an  one  as  is  there 
commonly  used  for  washing  linna^ 

Having  succeeded  so  well  in  the  History  of  Elec- 
tricity, I  was  induced  lo  undertake  the  history  of  ail 
the  branches  of  experimental  philosophy ;    axid  a{ 
Leeds  I  gave  out  proposals  for  that  purpose,  and 
published  the  History  of  discoveries  rdatitig  to  tision 
light  and  colours.     This  ^vork,  also,  I  believe  I  exe- 
cuted  to  general  satisfaction  ,   and  being  an  underta- 
king of  great  expence,  I  was  under  the  necessity  of 
publishing  it  by  subscription.     The  sale,  however, 
was  not  such  as  to  encourage  me  to  proceed  with  a 
work  of  so  much  labour  and  expence  ;  so  that  after 
purchasing  a  great  number  of  books,  to  enable  me 
to  finish  my  undertaking,    I  was  obliged  to  abandon 
it,  and  to  apply  wholly  to  original  experiments.* 
In  writing  the  History  of  discoveries  relating  to 

vision. 


Many  of  tlir  subsciiptlons  vcir.;iijned  unpaid. 


Dr.  Priestley.  65 

vision,  I  was  much  assisted  by  Mr.  Michell,  the 
discoverer  of  the  method  of  making  artificial  magnets. 
Living  at  Thornhill,  not  very  far  from  Leeds,  I  fre- 
quently visited  him,  and  was  very  happy  in  his  soci- 
ety, as  I  also  was  in  that  of  Mr.  Smeaton,  who  lived 
still  nearer  to  me.  He  made  me  a  present  of  his  ex- 
cellent air  pump,  which  I  constantly  use  to  this  day. 
Having  strongly  recommended  his  construction  of 
this  instrument,  it  is  now  generally  used ;  whereas 
before  that  hardly  any  had  been  made  during  the 
twenty  years  which  had  elapsed  after  the  account  that 
he  had  given  of  it  in  the  Philosophical  Transactions. 
I  was  also  instrumental  in  reviving  tiie  u^  of  large 
electrical  machines,  and  batteries,  in  electricity ,  the 
generality  of  electric?!  machines  being  little  more  than 
play  things  at  the  time  that  I  began  my  experiments. 
The  first  very  large  electrical  machine  was  made  by 
Mr.  Naime  in  consequence  of  a  request  made  to  me, 
by  the  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  to  get  him  tlie  best 
machine  that  we  could  make  in  England.  This,. 
and  another  that  he  made  for  Mr.  Vaughan,  were 
constituted  on  a  plan  of  my  own.  But  afterwards 
Mr.  Nairne  made  large  machines  on  a  more  simple 
and  improved  construction  ;  and  in  censidcratlon  of 

E  the 


66  Memoirs  of 

the  service  w  hich  I  had  rendered  him,  he  made  me  a 
present  of  a  pretty  large  machine  of  the  same  kind. 

The  review  of  my  history  of  electricity  by  Mr. 
!Btwley,  who  was  acquainted  \viih  Mr.  Michell,  was 
the  means  of  opening  a  correspondence  between  us, 
which  was  the  source  of  much  satisfaction  to  me  as 
long  as  he  lived.  I  instantly  communicated  to  him 
an  account  of  every  new  experiment  that  I  made,  and, 
in  return,  was  favoured  with  his  remarks  upon  them. 
All  that  he  published  of  his  own  were  articles  in  the 
Appendixes  to  my  volumes  on  air,  all  of  which  are 
ingenious  and  v?luable.  Always  publishing  in  this 
manner,  he  used  to  call  himself  my  satellite.  There 
was  a  vein  of  pleasant  wit  and  humour  in  all  his  cor- 
respondence, which  added  greally  to  the  value  of  it. 
His  letters  to  me  would  have  made  several  volumes, 
and  mine  to  him  still  more.  When  he  found  himself 
dangerously  ill,  he  made  a  point  of  paying  me  a  visit 
before  he  died ;  and  he  made  a  journey  from  Norfolk 
to  Birmingham,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Bevvley,  for 
that  purpose ;  and  after  spending  about  a  week  with 
me,  he  went  to  his  friend  Dr.  Buniey,  and  at  his 
house  he  died. 

AVhilc  I  WaS  at  Leeds  a  proposal  was  made  to  me 

to 


Dr.  Priestley.  67 

to  accompany  Captain  Cook  in  his  second  voyage  to 
the  south  seas.  As  the  terms  were  very  advantage- 
ous, I  consented  to  it,  and  the  heads  of  my  congrega- 
tion had  agreed  to  keep  an  assistant  to  supply  my 
place  during  my  absence.  But  Mr.  Banks  informed 
me  that  I  was  objected  to  by  some  clergymen  in  the 
board  of  longitude,  who  had  the  direction  of  this  bu- 
siness, on  account  of  my  religious  principles ;  and 
presently  after  I  heard  that  Dr.  Forster,  a  person  far 
better  qualified  for  the  purpose,  had  got  the  appoint- 
ment. As  I  had  barely  acquiesced  in  the  proposal, 
this  was  no  disappointment  to  me,  and  I  was  much 
better  employed  at  home,  even  with  respect  to  my 
philosophical  pursuits.  My  knowledge  of  natural 
history  was  not  sufficient  for  the  undertaking ;  but 
at  that  time  I  should  by  application  have  been  able  to 
supply  my  deficiency,  though  now  I  am  sensible  I 
could  not  do  it. 

At  Leeds  I  was  particularly  happy  in  my  inter- 
course with  Mr.  Turner  of  Wakefield,  and  occasi- 
onally, with  Mr.  Cappe  of  York,  and  Mr.  Graham 
of  Halifax.  And  here  it  was  that,  in  consequence  of 
a  visit  vvhich  In  company  with  Mr.  Turner  I  made  to 
tlie   Archdeacon    Blackburne  at    Richmond   (with 

E  2  whom 


68  Memoirs  of 

whom  I  had  kept  up  a  correspondence  fiom  the 
time  that  his  son  was  under  my  care  at  Warrington) 
I  first  met  with  Mr.  Lindsey,  then  of  Catterick,  and 
a  correspondence  and  intimacy  commenced,  which 
has  been  the  source  of  more  real  satisfaction  to  me 
than  any  other  circumstance  in  my  whole  life.  He 
soon  discovered  to  me  that  he  was  uneasy  in  his  situ- 
ation, and  had  thoughts  of  quitting  it.  At  first  I 
was  not  forward  to  encourage  him  in  it,  but  rather 
advised  him  to  make  what  aheration  he  thought  pro- 
per in  the  offices  of  the  church,  and  leave  it  to  bis  su- 
periors to  dismiss  him  if  they  chose.  But  his  bet- 
ter judgment,  and  greater  fortitude,  led  him  to  give 
up  all  connexion  with  the  established  church  of  his 
own  accord. 

This  took  place  about  the  time  of  my  leaving 
Leeds,  and  Ct  was  not  until  long  after  this  that  I  was 
apprized  of  all  the  difficulties  he  had  to  struggle  with 
before  h'*  could  accomplish  his  purpose.  But  the 
oppoiiition  made  to  it  by  his  nearest  friends,  and  those 
A\  ho  might  have  been  expected  to  approve  of  the 
step  that  he  took,  and  to  have  cndea^'oured  to  make 
it  easy  to  him,  was  one  of  the  greatest.  Notwith- 
standing this  he  left  Cutterick,  where  he  had  lived 

in 


Dr.   Priestley.  69 

in  afHuence  idolized  by  his  parish,  and  went  to  Lon- 
don without  any  certain  prospect ;  where  he  lived 
in  two  rooms  of  a  ground  floor,  until  by  the  assist, 
ance  of  his  friends,  he  was  able  to  pay  for  the  use  of 
the  upper  apartments,  which  the  state  of  his  health 
rendered  necessary.  In  this  humble  situation  have  I 
passed  some  of  the  most  pleasing  hours  of  my  life, 
when,  in  consequence  of  living  with  Lord  Shel- 
burne,  1  spent  my  winters  in  London. 

On  this  occasion  it  was  that  my  intimacy  with 
Mr.  Llndsey  was  nuch  improved,  and  an  entire 
concurrence  in  every  thing  that  we  thought  to  be  for 
the  interest  of  Christianity  gave  fresh  warmth  to  our 
friendship.  To  his  society  I  owe  much  of  my  zeal 
for  the  doctrine  of  the  divine  unity,  for  which  he 
made  so  great  sacrifices,  and  in  the  defence  of  which 
he  so  much  distinguished  himself,  so  as  to  occasion 
a  new  aera  in  the  history  of  religion  in  this  country. 

As  we  became  more  intimate,  confiding  in  his 
better  taste  and  judgment,  and  also  in  that  of  Mrs. 
Lindsey,  a  woman  of  the  same  spirit  and  views,  and 
in  all  respects  a  help  meet  for  him,  I  never  chose  to 
publish  any  thing  of  moment  relating  to  Theology 
without  consulting  him ;  and  hardly  ever  ventured 

E3  to 


70  Memoirs   of  • 

to  insert  any  thing  that  they  disapproved,  being  sen- 
sible that  my  disposition  led  to  precipitancy,  to 
which  their  coolness  was  a  seasonable  check. 

At  Leeds  began  my  intercourse  with  Mr.  Lee  of 
Lincoln's  Inn.  He  \a  as  a  native  of  the  place,  and 
exactly  one  week  older  than  myself.  At  that  time 
he  was  particularly  connected  with  the  congregation, 
and  before  be  was  manied  spent  his  vacations  with 
us.  His  friendship  \\as  a  source  of  much  greater 
satisfiiction  and  advantage  to  me  after  I  came  to  re* 
side  in  London,  and  especially  at  the  time  of  my 
leaving  Lord  Shelburne,  when  my  prospects  wore 
rather  a  cloudy  aspect. 

When  I  visited  London,  during  my  residence  at 
Leeds,  commenced  my  particular  friendship  for  Dr. 
Price,  to  whom  I  had  been  introduced  several  years 
before  bv  Dr.  Benson ;  our  first  interview  having 
been  at  Mr.  Brownsword's  at  Newington,  where 
they  were  members  of  a  small  literary  society,  in 
which  they  read  various  compositions.  At  that  time 
Dr.  Benson  read  a  paper  which  afterwards  made  a 
section  in  his  Life  of  Christ.  For  the  most  amiable 
simplicity  of  character,  equalled  only  by  that  of  Mf. 
Lindsey,  a  truly  chiistian  spirit,  disinterested  pa- 
triotism, 


Dr.  Priestley.  71 

triotism,  and  true  candour,  no  man  in  my  opinion 
€ver  exceeded  Dr.  Price.  His  candour  will  appear 
the  more  extraordinary,  considering  his  warm  at- 
tachments to  the  theological  sentiments  which  he 
embraced  in  very  early  life.  I  shall  ever  refleq.t  up- 
on our  friendship  as  a  circumstance  highly  honoura- 
ble, as  it  was  a  source  of  peculiar  satisfaction,  to  me« 

I  had  two  sons  bom  to  me  at  Leeds,  Joseph  and 
William,  and  though  I  was  very  happy  there,  |  was 
tempted  to  leave  it  after  continiuing  there  six  years, 
to  go  into  the  family  of  the  Earl  of  Shelburne,  now 
the  Marquis  of  Lansdowne  ;  he  stipulating  to  give 
me  250  j/^.  per  annum,  a  house  to  live  in,  and  a  cer- 
tainty for  life  in  case  of  his  death,  or  of  my  separati- 
on from  him ;  v\  hereas  at  Leeds  my  salary  was  only 
one  hundred  guineas  per  annum,  and  a  house, 
which  was  not  quite  sufficient  for  the  subsistence  of 
my  family,  without  a  possibility  of  making  a  provi- 
sion for  them  after  my  death. 

I  had  been  recommended  to  Lord  Shelburne  by 
Dr.  Price,  as  a  person  qualified  to  be  a  literary  com- 
panion to  him.  In  this  situation,  my  family  being 
at  Calne  in  Wiltshire,  near  to  his  Lordship's  seat  at 
Bowood,   I  continued  seven  years,  spending  the 

E  ,4  summer 


72  Memoirs  of 

summer  with  my  family,  and  a  great  part  of  the 
winter  in  his  Lordship's,  house  in  London.  My 
office  was  nominally  that  oi  librarian,  but  I  had  lit- 
tle employment  as  such,  besides  arranging  his  books, 
taking  a  catalogue  of  them,  and  of  his  manuscripts, 
which  were  numerous,  and  making  an  index  to  his 
collection  of  private  papers.  In  fact  I  was  with  him  as 
a  friend,  and  the  second  year  made  with  him  the  tour 
of  Fianders,  Holland,  and  Germany,  as  far  as  Stras- 
burgh  ,*  and  after  spending  a  month  at  Paris,  return- 
ed to  England.     This  was  in  the  year  1774. 

'Hiis  little  excursion  made  me  more  sensible 
than  I  should  otherwise  have  been  of  the  benefit  of 
foreign  travel,  even  without  the  advantage  of  much 
conversation  with  foreigners.  The  very  sight  of 
new  countries,  new  buildings,  new  customs,  Stc. 
and  the  very  hearing  of  an  unintelligible  new  lan- 
guage, gives  new  ideas,  and  tends  to  enlai-ge  the 
mind.  To  me  this  little  time  was  extremely  pleas- 
ing, especially  as  I  saw  every  thing  to  the  greatest 
advantage,  and  without  any  anxiety  or  trouble,  and 
had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  and  conversing  with 
every  person  of  eminence  wherever  we  came ;  the 
political  characters  by  his   Lordship's  connections, 

and 


Dr.    PlilESTLEY.  ;73 

and  the  literary  ones  by  my  ovni,  I  was  soon, 
however,  th'ed  of  Paris,  and  chose  to  spend  ray  even- 
ings at  the  hotel,  in  company  with  a  few  literary 
friends.  Fortunately  for  me,  Mr.  Mugellan*  be- 
ing at  Paris,  at  the  same  time,  spent  most  of  the 
evenings  with  me  ;  and  as  I  chose  to  return  before 
his  Lordship,  he  accompanied  me  to  London,  and 
made  the  journey  very  pleasing  to  me ;  he  being 
used  to  the  country,  the  language,  and  the  manners 
of  it,  which  I  was  not.     He  had  seen  much  of  the 

world, 


*  JOHN  HYACINTH  De  MAGELLAN  a  descendant  of  the 
Famous  Navigatoi-  Magellan,  v.as  a  Portuguese  Jesuit,  but  f.  r  more 
attached  to  Philosophy  tlian  Christianity.  He  was  much  employed 
by  his  rich  and  noble  correspondents  abroad  to  prociu*e  philosophi- 
cal Insti'uments  from  tlie  Artists  of  Great  Britain.  He  was  a  good 
judge  of  these,  and  being  of  a  mechanical  turn  as  well  as  a  man  of 
Science,  he  improved  their  construction  in  many  instances .  He  was 
member  of  and  attendant  on  almost  all  the  philosophical  Clubs  and 
Meetings  in  London,  and  was  generally  furnished  with  early  intelli- 
gence of  philosophical  discoveries  from  the  continent.  On  the  17tli 
of  September  1785  he  made  a  donation  of  200  guineas  to  the  Ame- 
-rican  philosophical  Society,  the  interest  whereof  was  to  be  appropri- 
ated annually  as  a  premium  for  the  most  useful  discoveries  or  improve- 
ments in  navigation  or  natural  philosophy,  but  to  the  exclusion  of 
mere  natural  history.  He  died  a  few  years  a*o,  leaving  Mr.  Nichol- 
son  and  the  late  Dr.  Ci-awford  his  Executors.  T.  C 


74  Memoirs  of 

world,  and  his  conversation  durini^  our  joumey  was 
j>articularly  interesting  to  me.  Indeed,  in  London, 
both  before  and  after  this  time,  I  ahvays  found  him 
very  friendly,  especially  in  every  thing  that  related 
to  my  philosophical  pursuits. 

As  I  was  sufficiently  apprized  of  the  fact,  I  did 
not  wonder,  as  I  o  herwise  should  have  done,  to  find 
all  the  philosophical  persons  to  a\  hom  I  was  intro- 
duced at  Paris  uiiuelievers  in  Christianity,  and  even 
professed  Atheists.  As  I  chose  on  all  occasions  to 
appear  as  a  christian,  I  was  told  by  some  of  them, 
tliai  I  was  the  only  person  they  had  ever  met  with, 
of  whose  understanding  they  had  any  opinion,  m  ho 
professed  to  believe  Christianity.  But  on  interrogating 
them  on  the  subject,  I  soon  found  that  they  had  gi- 
ven no  proper  attention  to  it,  and  did  not  really  know 
what  Christianity  \vas.  This  was  also  the  case  m  ith 
a  great  part  of  the  company  that  I  saw  at  Lord  Shel- 
burne's.  But  I  hope  that  my  ahvays  avowing  myself 
to  be  a  christian,  and  holding  myself  ready  on  all  oc- 
casions to  defend  the  genuine  principles  of  it,  was 
not  without  its  use.  Having  conversed  so  much 
with  unbelievers  at  home  and  abroad,  I  thought  I 
sliould  be  able  to  combat  their  prejudices  with  some 

ad^•an- 


Dr.  Priestley.  75' 

advantage,  and  with  this  view  I  wrote,  ^vhile  I  was 
with  Lord  Shelburne,  the  first  part  of  my  Leiteis  to  a 
philosophical  unbelie'ver,  in  proof  of  the  doctrines  of  a 
God  and  a  providence,  and  to  this  I  have  added  du- 
ring my  residence  at  Birmingham,  a  second  part,  in 
defence  of  the  evidences  of  Christianity.  The  first 
part  being  repUed  to  by  a  person  who  called  himself 
Mr.  Hammon,  I  wrote  a  reply  to  his  piece,  which 
has  hitherto  remained  unanswered.  I  am  happy  to 
find  that  this  work  of  mine  has  done  some  good,  and 
I  hope  that  in  due  time  it  w  ill  do  more.  I  can  truly 
say  that  the  greatest  satisfaction  I  receive  from  the 
success  of  my  philosophical  pursuits,  arises  from  the 
weight  it  may  give  to  my  attempts  to  defend  Christi- 
anity, and  to  free  it  from  those  corruptions  which 
prevent  its  reception  -^vith  philosophical  and  thinking 
persons,  Avhuse  influence  with  the  v\il9ar.  and  tlie 
unthinking,  is  very  great. 

With  Lord  Shelburne  I  sa^v  a  great  variety  of 
characters,  but,  of  our  neighbours  in  Wiltshire,  the 
person  I  had  the  most  frequent  opportunity  of  seeing 
was  Dr.  Frampton,  a  clergyman,  whose  history  may 
serve  as  a  lesson  to  many.  No  man  perhaps  Mas 
ever  better  qualified  to  please  in  a  convivial  hour,  or 

had 


76  Memoirs   of 

had  greater  talents  for  conversation  and  repartee ;  in 
consequence  of  which,  though  there  were  several 
things  very  disgusting  about  him,  his  society  was 
much  courted,  and  mony  promises  of  preferment 
were  made  to  him.  To  these,  notwithstanding  his 
knowledge  of  the  world,  and  of  high  life,  he  gave  too 
much  credit ;  so  that  he  spared  no  expence  to  grati- 
fy his  taste  and  appetite,  until  he  was  universally  in- 
volved in  debt ;  and  though  his  friends  made  some 
efforts  to  relieve  him,  he  was  confined  a  year  in  the 
county  prison  at  a  time  when  his  bodily  infirmities 
required  the  greatest  indulgences  ;  and  he  obtained 
his  release  but  a  short  time  before  his  dcadi  on  condi- 
tion of  his  living  on  a  scanty  allowance  ;  the  income 
of  his  livings  (amounting  to  more  than  400  ^.  per 
annum)  being  in  the  hands  of  his  creditors.  Such 
was  the  end  of  a  man  who  kept  the  table  in  a  roar. 

Dr.  Frampton  being  a  high  churchman,  he  cotild 
not  atfirst  conceal  his  aversion  to  me,  and  endeavoured 
to  do  me  some  ill  offices.  But  being  a  man  of  letters, 
and  despising  the  clergy  in  his  neighbourhood,  he 
became  at  last  much  attached  to  me  \  and  in  his  dis- 
tresses Avas  satisfied,  I  believe,  that  I  was  one  of  his 
most  sincere  fricndi.      With  some  great  defects  he 

had 


Dr.  Priestley.  77 

had  some  considerable  virtues,  and  uncommon  abi- 
lities, which  appeared  more  particularly  in  extempore 
speaking.  He  always  preached  without  notes,  and 
when,  on  some  occasions,  he  composed  his  sermons, 
he  could,  if  he  chose  to  do  it,  repeat  the  whole  njerba- 
tim.  He  frequently  extemporized  in  verse,  in  a 
great  variety  of  measures. 

In  Lord  Shelburne's  family  was  Lady  Arabella 
Denny,  who  is  well  knowh  by  her  extensive  chari- 
ties. She  is  (f  T  she  is  still  living)  a  woman  of 
good  understardirg,  and  great  piety.  She  had  the 
care  of  his  Lordship's  two  sons  until  they  came  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Jervis,  who  was  their  tutor  during: 
my  continuance  in  the  family.  His  Lordship's  young- 
er son,  who  died  suddenly,  had  made  astonishing- 
attainments  both  in  knowledge  and  piety,  w  hile  very 
young,  far  beyond  any  thing  that  I  had  an  opportuni- 
ty of  observing  in  my  life. 

When  I  went  to  his  Lordship,  I  had  materials  for 
one  volume  oi experiments  on  air,  which  I  soon  after 
published,  and  inscribed  to  him ;  and  before  I  left 
him  I  published  three  volumes  more,  and  had  ma- 
terials for  a  fourth,  which  I  publio-hed  immediately 
on  my  settling  in  Birmingham.     He  encouraged  me 

in 


78  Memoirs  or 

in  the  prosecution  of  my  philosophical  enquiries,  and 
allowed  mc  40  £.  per  annum  for  expenccs  of  that 
kind,  and  was  pleased  to  see  me  make  experiments 
to  entertain  his  guests,  and  especially  foreigners. 

NotwiUistanding  the  attention  that  I  gave  to  phi- 
losophy  in  this  situation,  I  did  not  discontinue  my 
other  studies,  especially  in  theology  and  metaphy- 
sics. Here  I  wrote  my  Miscellaneous  Observations 
7-eltinng  to  education,  and  published  my  Lectures  on 
Oratory  and  Criticism^  which  I  dedicated  to  Lord 
Fitzmaurice,  Lord  Shelburne's  eldest  son.  Here 
also  I  published  the  third  and  last  part  of  my  Insti- 
tutes of  Natural  and  Reijealed  religion  ;  and  having 
in  the  Preface  attacked  the  principles  of  Dr.  Reid, 
Dr.  Beattie,  and  Dr.  Oswald,  Avith  respect  to  their 
doctrine  of  Common  Sense,  which  they  made  to  su- 
percede all  rational  inquiry  into  the  subject  oi"  religi- 
on, I  was  led  to  consitler  their  system  in  a  separate 
work,  which,  though  written  in  a  manner  that  I  do 
not  intircly  approve,  has,  I  hope  upon  the  whole 
been  of  s(r\ice  to  the  cause  of  free  inquiry  and 
truth.* 

In 

*  Tliis  rrply  of  Dr.  Pricstloy   to  ihc  Scotch  Doctors,  t>vouf;h  not 

written 


Dr.  Priestley.  79 

In  the  preface  I  had  expressed  my  belief  of  the  doc- 
trine oi  Philosophical  Necessity,  but  without  any  de- 
sign to  pursue  die  subject,  and  also  my  great  admira- 
tion of  Dr.  Hartley's  theory  of  the  human  nird,  as 
indeed  I  had  taken  many  opportunities  of  doing  be- 
fore. This  led  me  to  publish  that  part  of  his  obser- 
vations on  man  which  related  to  the  doctrine  of  asso- 
ciation of  ideas,  detached  from  the  doctrine  of  vibra- 
tions, prefixing  three  dissertations^  explanatory  of  his 
general  system.  In  one  of  these  I  expressed  seme 
doubt  of  the  immateriality  of  the  sentient  principle 
in  man  ;  and  the  outcry  that  was  miide  on  what  I 
casually  expressed  on  thiit  subject  can  hardly  be  ima- 
gined. In  all  the  newspapers,  and  most  of  the  perio- 
dical publications,  I  \vas  represented  as  an  unbeliever 
in  revelation,  and  no  better  than  an  Atheist. 

This 

written  in  a  manner  that  his  matvucr  reflction  approved,  compleatly 
set  at  rest  the  que^ticn  of  Ccirinon  Scr.se  as  denoting'  the  intuitive 
evidence  of  a  chiss  of  moral  and  relig'iou3  proposliions  capable  of  sa- 
tisfactory proof,  or  of  high  probability  from  considerations  ab  extra. 
But  Dr.  Reid  ought  hardly  to  be  classed  with  coadjutors  so  inferior  as 
the  Drs.  Oswald  and  Beatiie.  The  latter  wrote  something'  wh.ich  he 
meant  as  a  defence  of  the  christian  relijicn  ;  but  such  defenders  of 
Christianity  as  Dr.  Beatiie  and  Soame  Jenyns,  are  well  calciJated  to 
Irlne  it  ittp  contempt  witli  nienof  ifarci^  s.nd  r^flcclicn.  T.  C 


80  Memoirs  6f 

This  led  me  to  give  the  closest  attention  to  the 
subject,  and  the  consequence  \\as  the  firmest  per- 
suasion that  man  is  wholly  material,  and  that  our 
only  prospect  of  immortality  is  from  the  christian 
doctrine  of  a  resurrection.  I  therefore  digested  my 
thoughts  on  the  subject,  and  published  my  Disqui^ 
sitions  relating  to  matter  and  spirit,  also  the  subjects 
of  Socinianism  and  necessity  being  nearly  connected 
"with  the  doctrine  of  the  materiality  of  man,  I  advanc 
ed  several  (Considerations  from  the  state  of  opinions 
in  antient  times  in  fa^•our  of  the  former  ;  and  in  a 
separate  volume  discussed  more  at  large  what  related 
to  the  latter,  dedicating  the  first  volume  of  this 
work  to  Mr.  Graham,  and  the  second  to  Dr.  Jebb. 
*  It  being  probable  that  this  publication  would  be 
unpopular,  and  might  be  a  means  of  bringing  odium 
on  my  patron,  several  attempts  were  made  by  his 
friends,  though  none  by  himself,  to  dissuade  me 
from  persisting  in  it.  But  being,  as  I  thought,  en- 
gaged in  the  cause  of  important  truth,  I  proceeded 
w  ithout  regard  to  any  consequences,  assuring  them 
that  this  publication  should  not  be  injurious  to  his 
Lordship. 

Tn  order,   however,   to  proceed  with  the  greatest 

caution, 


Dr.  Priestley.  SI 

caution,  in  a  business  of  such  moment,  I  desired 
some  of  my  learned  friends,  and  especially  Dr. 
Price,  to  peruse  the  work  before  it  was  published ; 
and  the  remarks  that  he  made  upon  it  led  to  a  free 
and  friendly  discussion  of  the  several  subjects  of  it, 
which  we  afterwards  published  jointly  ;  and  it  re- 
mains a  proof  of  the  possibility  of  discussing  subjects 
mutually  considered  as  of  the  greatest  importance, 
with  the  most  perfect  good  temper,  and  without  the 
least  diminution  of  friendship.  This  work  I  dedi- 
cated to  our  common  friend  Mr.  Lee. 

In  this  situation  I  published  my  Harmony  of  the 
gospels,  on  the  idea  of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus 
having  continued  little  more  than  one  year,  a  scheme 
which  I  first  proposed  in  the  Theological  Reposito- 
ry ;  and  the  Bishop  of  Waterford  having  in  his  Har- 
;7?(9//y  published  a  defence  of  the  common  hypothesis, 
viz.  that  of  its  having  been  three  years,  I  addi-essed 
a  letter  to  him  on  the  subject,  and  to  this  he  made  a 
reply  in  a  separate  work.  The  controversy  proceed- 
ed to  several  publications  on  both  sides,  in  the  most 
amicable  manner,  and  the  last  /^o^/^rrz^Mvas  pub- 
lished jointly  by  us  both.  Though  my  side  of  the 
question  was  without  any  advocates  that  I  know  of, 

F  and 


&ii  .  MEifoins  OF 

and  had  only  been  adopted  by  Mr.  Maun,  uho 
seemed  to  have  had  no  followers,  there  are  few  per- 
sons, I. believe,  who  have  attended  to  our  discussion 
of  the  subject,  who  are  not  satisfied  that  I  have  suf- 
ficiendy  proved  what  I  had  advanced.  This  contro- 
versy was  not  finished  until  after  my  removal  to  Bir- 
minp^ham. 

Reflecting  on  the  time  that  I  spent  with  Lord  Shel- 
burne,  being  as  a  guest  in  the  family,  I  can  truly  say 
that  I  was  not  at  all  foscinated  with  that  mode  of 
life.  '  Instead  of  looking  back  upon  it  with  regret, 
one  of  the  greatest  subjects  of  my  present  thankful- 
ness is  the  change  of  that  situation  for  the  one  in 
which  I  am  now  placed  ;  and  yet  I  was  far  from  be- 
ing unhappy  there,  much  less  so  than  tliose  a\  ho  arc 
born  to  such  a  state,  and  pass  all  their  lives  in  it. 
These  are  generally  unhappy  from  the  want  of  neces- 
sary employment ,  on  \\  hich  account  chiefly  there 
appears  to  be  much  more  happiness  in  the  middle 
classes  of  life,  who  aic  above  the  fear  of  ^vant,  and 
yet  have  a  sufficient  moti\c  for  a  constant  exertion  of 
tlicir  faculties  ;  and  vaIio  have  alu avs  some  other  ob- 
ject besides  amusement. 

I  used  to  miikc  no  scruple  of  maintaining,  tliat 

there 


Dr.  Priestley.  ^$ 

there  is  not  only  most  virtue,  and  most  happiness, 
but  even  most  true  poUteness  in  the  middle  classes 
of  life.  For  in  proportion  as  men  pass  more  of  their 
time  in  the  society  of  their  equals,  they  get  a  better 
established  habit  of  governing  their  tempers  ;  they 
attend  more  to  the  feelings  of  others,  and  are  mora 
disposed  to  accommodate  themselves  to  them.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  passions  of  persons  in  higher  life, 
having  been  less  controlled,  are  more  apt  to  be  in- 
flamed ;  the  idea  of  their  rank  and  superiority  to 
others  seldom  quiis  them  ;  and  though  they  are  in 
the  habit  of  concealing  their  feelings,  and  disguising 
their  passions,  it  is  not  always  so  well  done,  but  that 
persons  of  ordinary  discernment  may  perceive  what 
they  in^vardly  suffer.  On  this  account,  they  arc 
really  intitled  to  compassion,  it  being  the  almost  un- 
avoidable consequence  of  their  education  and  mode 
of  life.  But  when  the  mind  is  not  hurt  in  such  a 
situation,  when  a  person  born  to  affluence  can  lose 
sight  of  himself,  and  truly  feel  and  act  fcr  others, 
the  character  is  so  godlike,  as  shews  that  this  ine» 
quality  of  condition  is  not  without  its  use.  Like 
the  general  discipline  of  life,  it  is  for  the  present  lost 

00 

F2 


84  Memoirs  or 

on  the  great  mass,  but  on  a  few  it  produces  what  no 
other  state  of  things  could  do.* 

The 

*  The  account  here  gi\en  of  Dr.  Priestley's  connection 
with  Lord  Shelburne  must  be  gratifying  to  every  friend  of  sci- 
ence  and  litei-atare,  notvvitlistanding  tlie  subsequent  separation. 
To  such  persons  the  character  of  a  nobleman  vho  like  Lord 
Shelburne,  devotes  so  much  of  his  time,  and  so  much  of  his  in- 
come to  the  pin-suits  of  knowledge,  and  the  encouragement  of  those 
■who  eminently  contribute  to  enlighten  mankind,  cannot  but  be  inter- 
esting. Had  he  behaved  dishonourably  or  disrespectfully  to  a  roan 
of  Dr.  Pijestley's  high  station  in  the  literary  world.  It  would  have 
been  an  argument  that  science  and  litcratiu-e  were  ineffectual  to  sof- 
ten the  pride  of  titled  opuleiKC  and  hereditary  rank.  But  Ovid  lias 
observed  justly,  Cingenuas  didicisse  Jidditer  Actes ,  emollit  mois  pecs-' 
nit  esse  fir  OS.  J 

It  is  right  to  mention  an  anecdote  higlily  honourable  to  Lord  Shel- 
burne, on  the  authority  of  Dr.  Priestley.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  treaty 
of  peace  in  1783,  negcjtiated  by  Lord  Shelburne  while  he  was  in  the 
ministry,  a  strong  opposition  was  expected,  particularly  fi'om  his 
former  coadjutors  wlio  soon  after  the  deatli  of  Lord  Rockingliam  had 
seceded  from  Lord  Shelburne's  administi-ation.  It  was  suggested  to 
this  nobleman,  that  it  was  cu.stomary  for  the  mini.stcr  for  the  time 
being  to  let  it  be  understood  among  the  inutes  of  the  ministerial 
members,  that  they  miglit  expect  the  usual  douceur  for  their  votes  on 
sucli  an  occasion.  Some  light  might  be  thro\^•n  on  the  n.-.turo  and 
quantum  of  tliis  douceur,  1)y  the  list  of  ministerial  rewards  distributed 
Attlic  close  of  ejich  session,  as  stated  publicly  to  the  house  of  Com- 
mons 


Dr.  Priestley.  85 

The  greatest  part  of  the  time  that  I  spent  with 
Lord  Shelburne  I  passed  with  much  satisfaction, 
his  Lordship  always  behaving  to  me  with  uniform 
politeness,  and  his  guests  with  respect.  But  about 
two  3'ears  before  I  left  him,  I  perceived  evident 
marks  of  dissatisfaction,  though  I  never  understood 
the  cause  of  it;  and  until  that  time  he  had  been 
even  lavish  on  all  occasions  in  expressing  his  satis- 
faction in  my  society  to  our  common  friends.  When 
I  left  him,  I  asked  him  whether  he  had  any  fault  to 
find  with  uiy  conduct,  and  he  said  7ione. 

At  length,  however,  he  intimated  to  Dr.  Price,  that 
he  'vished  to  give  me  an  establishment  in  Ireland, 
where  he  had  large  property.  This  gave  mc  an  op- 
p  rtunity  of  acquainting  him,  that  if  he  chose  to  dis^ 
solve  the  connexion,  it  should  be  on  the  terms  ex- 
pressed in  the  writings  which  we  mutually  signed 

when 


mons  by  tlie  late  Sir  Georg-e  Saviile.  Lord  Shelburne  without  hesita- 
tion refused  compliance  ;  and  declared  that  if  his  peace  could  not 
obtain  the  unbought  approbation  of  the  house,  it  migiit  take  its 
chance.  The  consequence  was  that  althoug-h  the  address  was  carried 
iu  the  Lords  by  73  to  59  it  was  lost  in  the  Commons  by  224  to  203, 

T.  C. 

F3 


S6  Mejioirs  of 

when  it  was  formed,  in  consequence  of  u  hich  I  should 
be  entitled  to  an  annuity  of  an  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  and  tben  I  would  provide  for  myself,  and  to 
this  he  readily  acceded.  He  told  Dr.  Price  that  he 
wished  our  separation  to  be  amicable,  and  I  assured 
him  that  nothing  should  be  wanting  on  my  part  to 
make  it  truly  so.  Accordingly,  I  expected  that  he 
Would  receive  my  visits  A^hen  I  should  be  occasion* 
ally  in  London,  but  he  declined  them. 

However,  A^'hen  I  liad  been  some  years  settled  at 
Birmingham,  he  sent  an  especial  messenger,  and 
common  friend,  to  engage  me  ?gain  in  his  service , 
Ijaving,  as  that  friend  assured  me,  a  deep  sense 
of  the  loss  of  Lord  Ashburton  (Mr.  Dunning) 
by  d^iath,  and  of  Colonel  Barre  by  his  becoming  al- 
most blind,  and  his  want  of  some  able  and  faithful 
friend,  such  as  he  had  experienced  in  me ;  v.  ith  other 
expressions  more  flattering  than  those.  I  did  not 
chuse,  however,  on  any  consideration,  to  leave  tlie 
very  eligible  situation  in  v.hich  I  now  am,  but  expres- 
sed my  readiness  to  do  him  any  service  in  my  power.  * 
His  Lordship's  enemies  have  insinuated  that  he  was 
riot  punctual  in  the  payment  of  my  annuity  ;  but  the 
contrary  is  true  :    HididLO  nothing  could  have  been 

more 


Dr.  Priestley.  87 

more  punctual,  and  I  have  no  reason  to  suppose  tliat 
it  will  fever  be  otherwise. 

At  Calne  I  had  another  son  born  to  me,  whom,  at 
Lord  Shelburne^s  request,  I  called  Henry. 

It  was  at  the  time  of  my  leaving  Lord  Shelburne 
th;it  I  found  the  great  value  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lind- 
sey's  friendship,  in  such  a  manner  as  I  certainly  had 
no  expectation  of  when  our  acquaintance  commen- 
ced ;  especially  by  their  introducing  me  to  the  notice 
of  Mrs.  Rayner,  one  of  his  hearers,  and  most  zealous 
friends. 

Notwithstanding  my  allowance  from  Lord  Shel- 
burne was  larger  than  that  which  I  had  at  Leeds,  yet 
my  family  growing  up,  and  my  expences,  on  this  and 
other  accounts,  increasing  more  than  in  proportion, 
I  was  barely  able  to  support  my  removal.  But  my 
situation  being  intimated  to  Mrs.  Raj  ncr,  besides 
smaller  sums,  with  which  she  occasionally  assisted 
me,  she  gave  me  an  hundred  guineas  to  defray  the 
expence  of  my  removal,  and  deposited  widi  Mrs. 
Lindsey,  which  she  soon  after  gave  up  to  me,  four 
hundred  guineas,  and  to  this  day  has  never  failed  gi- 
ving me  every  year  marks  of  her  friendship.  Her*s 
is,  indeed,  I  seriously  think,  one  of  the  first  christian 
F  4  characters 


88  Memoirs  or 

characters  that  I  \;a5  ever  acquainted  \\ith,  having  a 
cultivated  comprehensive  mind,  equal  to  any  subject 
of  theolog}-  or  metaphysics,  intrepid  in  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  most  rationally  pious. 

Spending  so  much  of  my  time  in  London  v^as  tho 
means  of  increasing  my  intimacy  with  both  Mr.  Lind- 
sey  and  Mr.  Lee,  our  common  friend  ;  uho  amidst 
the  bustle  of  politics,  always  preserved  his  attachment 
to  theology,  and  the  cause  of  truth.  The  Sunday  I 
always  spent  \\ith  Mr.  Lindsey,  attending  the  service 
of  his  chapel,  and  sometimes  officiating  for  him  ;  and 
with  him  and  Mrs.  Lindscy  I  generally  spent  the 
evening  of  that  day  at  Mr.  Lee's  who  then  admitted 
no  other  company,  and  seldom  have  I  enjoyed  socie- 
ty ^\•ith  mo'-e  relish. 

My  winter's  residence  in  London  was  the  means  of 
improving  my  acquaintance  with  Dr.  Franklin.  I 
was  scldovn  many  days  without  seeing  him,  and  be- 
.  ing  members  of  the  same  club,  wc  cojistantly  return- 
ned  together.  Tl  le  difference  with  America  breaking 
out  at  this  time,  our  conversation  was  chiefly  of  a  po- 
litical nature  ;  and  I  can  beai"  w  Itncss,  t'iiat  he  was  so 
far  from  promoting,  a5j\\as  generally  supposed,  that 
he  took  c\cry  method  in  hh  [)OV.cr  to  prevent  a  rup- 
ture 


Dr.  Priestley.  89 

ture  between  the  two  countries.  He  urged  so  much 
the  doctrine  of  forbearance,  that  for  some  time  he  was 
unpopular  with  the  Americans  on  that  account,  as 
too  much  a  friend  to  Great  Britain.  His  advice  to 
them  was  to  bear  every  thing  for  the  present,  as  they 
were  sure  in  time  to  out  grow  all  their  grievances  ;  as 
it  could  not  be  in  the  power  of  the  mother  country 
to  oppress  them  long. 

He  dreaded  the  war,  and  often  said  that,  if  the  dif- 
'  ference  should  come  to  an  open  rupture,  it  would  be 
a  war  of  len  years ,  and  he  should  not  live  to  see  the 
end  of  it.  In  reality  the  war  lasted  near  eight  years 
but  he  did  live  to  see  the  happy  termination  of  it. 
That  the  issue  would  be  favorable  to  America,  he 
never  doubted.  The  English,  he  used  to  say,  may 
take  all  our  great  towns,  but  that  will  not  give  them 
possession  of  the  country.  The  last  day  that  he 
spent  in  England,  having  given  out  that  he  should 
leave  London  the  day  before,  we  passed  together,^ 
without  any  other  company  ;  and  much  of  the  time 
was  employed  in  reading  American  newspapers,  es- 
pecially accounts  of  the  reception  which  the  Boston 
port  bill  met  with  in  America  ;  and  as  he  read  the 
addresses  to  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  fi^om  the  places 

ill 


90  Memoius  of 

ill  the  neighbourhood,  the  tcaii  trickled  down  his 
cheeks.* 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented,  that  a  man  of  Dr. 
Franklin's  gcn.ral  good  character,  and  great  influ- 
ence, should  have  been  an  unbeliever  in  Christianity, 
and  also  have  done  so  much  as  he  did  to  make  others 
unbelievers.  I'o  me,  ho\Tevcr,  he  acknowleelged 
that  he  had  not  given  so  much  attention  as  he  ought 
to  have  done  to  the  evidences  of  Christianity,  and  de- 
sired me  to  recommend  to  him  a  few  ti*eatiseson  the 
subject,  such  as  I  thought  most  deserving  of  his 
notice,  but  not  of  great  length,  promising  to  read 
them,  and  gi\  c  me  his  sentiments  on  them.  Ac- 
cordingly, I  recommended  to  him  Hartley's  evi- 
dences of  Christianity  in  his  Observations  on  Man, 
and  'what  I  had  then  written  on  the  subject  in  my 
Institutes  of  natural  and  revealed  religion.  But 
the  American  war  breaking  out  soon  after,  I  do  not 
believe  that  he  ever  found  himself  sufficiently  at  lei- 
sure  for  the  discussion.  1  have  kept  up  a  corres- 
pondence with  him  occasionally  ever  since,  and  three 

of  his 


*   Ff;r  two  letters  wrlUcn  by  my  father  ixlali'ig' to  Dr.  rnmklin  ami 
Mr  Burke  sec  :vi)i.cnd'.x  Nj.  6. 


Dr.  Priestley.  91 

of  his  letters  lo  me  were,  \\  ith  his  consent,  puWishcd 
in  his  Miscellaneous  Works,  in  quarto.  The  first 
of  them,  written  immediately  on  his  landing  in  A- 
merica,  is  very  striking. 

About  three  years  before  the  dissolution  of  my 
connection  with  Lord  Shelburne,  Dr.  Fothergill, 
with  whom  I  had  always  lived  on  terms  of  much  in- 
timacy, having  observed,  as  he  said,  that  many  of 
my  experiments  had  not  been  carried  to  their  proper 
extent  on  account  of  the  expence  that  would  have 
attended  them,  proposed  to  me  a  subscription  from 
himself  and  some  of  his  ftiends,  to  supply  me  with 
whatever  sums  I  should  want  for  that  purpose,  and 
named  a  hundred  pounds  per  annum.  This  large 
subscription  I  declined,  lest  the  discovery  of  it  (by 
the  use  that  I  should,  of  course,  make  of  it)  should 
give  umbrage  to  Lord  Shelburne,  but  I  con,sented 
to  accept  of  40  ;^.  per  annum,  \^  hich  from  that  time 
he  regularly  paid  me,  from  the  contribution  of  him- 
self, Sir  Theodore  Jansen,  Mr.  Constable,  and  Sir 
George  Saville. 

On  my  leaving  Lord  Shelburne,  which  was  at- 
tended \A'ith  the  loss  of  one  hal["  of  my  income,  Dr. 
Fothergill  proposed   an   enlargement  of  my  allow- 
ance 


92  Memoirs  of 

ance  for  my  experiments,  and  lik.e\\  ise  for  mv  main- 
Icnrncc,  v,  ithout  being  under  the  necessity  of  giv- 
ing my  time  to  pupils,  which  I  must  otherwise  have 
done.  And,  considering  the  generosity  with  which 
this  voluntary  offer  was  made  by  persons  who  could 
well  afford  it,  and  who  thought  me  qualified  to 
serve  the  interests  of  science,  1  thought  it  right  t(j 
accept  of  it ;  and  I  preferred  it  to  any  pension  from 
the  court,  offers  of  which  were  more  than  once  made 
by  persons  who  thought  they  could  have  procured 
one  for  me. 

As  it  was  my  wish  to  do  what  might  be  in  my 
power  to  shew  my  gratitude  to  my  friends  and  bene- 
factors that  suggested  the  idea  of  writing  these  Me- 
moirs, I  shall  subjoin  a  list  of  their  names.  Some 
of  the  subscriptions  were  made  with  a  view  to  defray 
the  expence  of  my  experiments  only  ;  but  the  grea- 
ter part  of  the  subscribers  were  persons  who  were 
equally  friends  to  my  theological  studies. 

The  persons  who  made  me  this  regular  annual  al- 
lowance were  Dr.  Watson  and  his  son,  Mr.  Wedg- 
wood, Mr.  Moseley,  Mr.  S.  Salte,  Mr.  JefiVies, 
Mr.  Radcliffe,  Mr.  Remington,  Mr.  Strutt  of  Der- 
by, Mr.  Shore,  Mr.  Reynolds  of  Paxton,  Messrs. 

Gallon 


Dr.  Priestley.  92 

Galton,  father  and  son,  and  the  Rev.  Mr,  Simpson. 

Besides  the  persons  whose  names  appear  in  this 
Jist,  as  regular  subscribers,  there  uere  other  persons 
who,  without  chusing  to  be  known  as  such,  con- 
tributed  no  less  to  my  support,  and  some  considera- 
bly more. 

My  chief  benefactress  was  Mrs.  Rayner,  and  next 
to  her  Dr.  Heberden,  equally  distinguished  for  his 
love  of  religious  truth,  and  his  zeal  to  promote  sci- 
ence. Such  also  is  the  character  of  Mr.  Tayleur  of 
Shrewsbury,  who  has  at  difierent  times  remitted  me 
considerable  sums,  chiefly  to  defray  the  expences 
incuiTed  by  my  theological  inquiries  and  publica- 
tions. 

Mr.  Parker  of  Fleet  street  very  generously  suppli- 
ed me  with  every  instrument  that  I  wanted  in  glass, 
particularly  a  capital  burning  lens,^  sixteen  inches 
in  diameter.  All  his  benefactions  in  th.is  way  v.  ould 
have  amounted  to  a  considerable  sum.  Mr.  Wcdsr- 
wood  also,  besides  his  annual  benefaction,  supplied 

me 


*  Thoug'h  liis  sjg'ht  was  not  much  ^orse  tlian  before  during-  the  last 
ten  years  of  hid  life  it  had  been  much  injured  by  his  experiments  with 
the  burning'  Lens  of  wliich  he  made  mucJiuse  in  suii.mei-time. 


9i  Memoirs  of 

mc  with  every  tiling  that  I  wanted  made  of  pottcr}% 
such  as  retorts,  tubes,  Sec.  which  the  account  of  my 
experiments  will  shew  to  have  been  ofgreatuseto 
mc. 

On  my  removal  to  Birmingham  commenced  my 
intimacy  with  Mr.  William  Russell,  whose  public 
spirit,  and  zeal  in  every  good  cause,  can  hardly  be 
exceeded.  My  obligations  to  him  were  various 
and  constant,  so  as  not  to  be  estimated  by  sums  of 
money.  At  his  proposal  I  doubt  not,  some  of  the 
heads  of  the  congregation  made  me  a  present  of  two 
hundred  pounds,  to  assist  me  in  my  theological  pub- 
lications. 

Mr.  Lee  shewed  himself  particularly  my  friend 
at  the  time  that  I  left  Lord  Shelburne,  assisting  me 
in  the  difficutics  w  ith  which  I  was  then  pressed,  and 
continuing  to  befriend  me  afterwards  by  seasonable 
benefactions.  Bv  him  it  was  hinted  to  me  during 
the  administration  of  Lord  Rockingham,  with  whom 
he  had  great  influence,  that  I  might  have  a  pension 
from  the  government,  to  assist  in  defraying  the  ex- 
pence  of  my  experiments.  Another  hint  of  the  same 
kind  was  given  mc  in  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Pitt's 
administration  by  a  Bishop  in  w  hose  power  it  was  to 
*  ha^•c 


Dr.  Priestley.  95 

have  procured  it  from  him.  But  in  both  cases  I 
declined  the  overture,  wishing  to  preserve  myself 
independent  of  every  thing  connected  with  the  court, 
and  preferring  the  assistance  of  generous  and  opulent 
individuals,  lovers  of  science,  and  also  lovers  of  li- 
berty. Without  assistance  I  could  not  have  carried 
on  my  experiments  at  all,  except  on  a  very  small 
scale,  and  under  gr^at  disadvantages^ 

Mr.  Galton,  before  I  had  any  opportunity  of  being 
personally  acquainted  with  him,  had,  on  the  death  of 
Dr.  Fothergill,  taken  up  his  subscription.  His  son 
did  the  same,  and  the  friendship  of  the  latter  has  ad- 
ded much  to  the  happiness  of  my  situation  here.* 
Seldom,  if  ever,  have  I  known  two  persons  of  such 
cultivated  minds,  pleasing  manners,  and  liberal  dis^ 
positions,  as  he  and  Mrs.  Galton.  The  latter  had  the 
greatest  attachment  imaginable  to  my  wife. 

Mr,  Sake  was  zealous  in  promoting  tlie  subscrip- 
tions to  my  experiments,  and  moreover  proposed  to 
take  one  of  my  sons  as  an  apprentice  without  any 
fee.  But  my  brother-in-law  making  the  same  offer, 
I  gave  it  the  preference  :    INIr.  W^'edgwood,  who  has 

distin- 

*  Birmingham. 


96  Memoirs  of 

distinguished  himself  by  his  application  to  philoso- 
phical pursuits,  as  well  as  by  his  great  success  in  the 
improvement  of  his  manufactory,  was  >^ery  zealous 
to  serA'c  me,  and  urged  me  to  accept  of  a  much  lar- 
t^er  allowance  than  I  chose. 

The  favours  that  1  received  from  my  two  brothers- 
in-law  deserve  my  most  grateful  acknowledgments. 
They  acted  the  part  of  kind  and  generous  relations, 
especially  at  the  time  when  I  most  wanted  assistance. 
It  was  in  consequence  of  Mr.  John  Wilkinson's  pro- 
posal, who  Avished  to  have  us  nearer  lo  him,  that,  be- 
ing undetermined  where  to  settle,  I  fixed  upon  Bir- 
mingham, where  he  soon  provided  a  house  for  me. 

My  apology  for  accepting  of  these  large  benefacti- 
ons is,  that  besides  the  great  expence  of  my  philoso- 
phical and  even  my  theological  studies,  and  the  edu- 
cation of  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  the  reputation  I 
had,  justly  or  unjustly,  acquired  brought  on  n^e  a 
train  of  expences  not  easy  to  describe,  to  a^•oid  or  to 
estimate  ;  so  that  without  so  much  as  keeping  a  horse 
(which  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Russel  made  unnecessa- 
ry) the  expence  of  housekeeping,  &c.  was  more  than 
double  the  amount  of  any  rrgular  income  tliat  I 
had. 

I 


Dr.   Priestley.  97 

I  consider  my  settlement  at  Birmingham  as  the 
happiest  event  in  my  Ufe,  being  hig»ily  favorable  to 
every  object  I  had  in  view,  philosophical  or  theologi- 
cal. In  the  former  respect  I  had  the  convenience  of 
good  workmen  of  every  kind,  and  the  society  of  per- 
sons eminent  for  their  knowledge  of  chemistry,  par- 
ticularly Mr.  Watt,  Mr.  Keir,  and  Dr.  Withering. 
These  with  Mr.  Boulton,  and  Dr.  Darwin,  who  soon 
left  us  by  removing  from  Litchfield  to  Derby, 
Mr.  Galton,  and  afterwards  Mr.  Johnson  of  Kenel- 
worth  and  myself  dined  together  every  month,  calling 
ourselves  the  lunar  society ^  because  the  time  of  our 
meeting  was  near  the  full  moon. 

With  respect  to  theology,  I  had  the  society  of  Mr. 
Hawkes,  Mr.  Blyth,  and  Mr.  Scholefield,  and 
his  assistant  Mr.  Coates,  and,  while  he  lived  Mr. 
Palmer,  before  of  Macclesfield.  We  met  and  drank 
tea  together,  every  fortnight.  At  this  meeting  we 
read  all  the  papers  that  were  sent  for  the  Theological 
Repository,  which  I  revived  some  time 'after  my 
coming  hither,  and  in  general  our  conversation  was 
of  the  same  cast  as  that  with  my  fellow  tutors  at  War- 
rington. 

Within  a  quarter  of  a  year  ofmy  coming  to  reside 
G  at 


93  ■  Memoirs  of 

at  Birmingham,  Mr.  Hawkes  resigned,  and  I  had  an 
unanimous  invitation  to  succeed  him,  as  colleague 
with  Mr.  Blyth,  a  man  of  a  truly  christian  temper. 
The  congregation  we  serve  is  the  most  liberal,  1  be- 
lieve, of  any  in  England  ;  and  to  this  freedom  the 
unwearied  labours  of  Mr.  Bourne  had  eminently  con- 
tributed. 

V»"ith  this  congregation  I  greatly  improved  my  plan 
of  catechizing  and  lecturing,  and  my  classes  have 
been  well  attended.  I  have  also  introduced  the  cus- 
tom of  expounding  the  scriptures  as  I  read  them, 
which  I  had  never  done  before,  but  ^\hich  I  would 
earnestly  recommend  to  all  ministers.  My  time  be- 
ing much  taken  up  with  my  philosophical  and  other 
studies,  I  agreed  with  the  congregation  to  leave  the 
business  of  baptizing,  arid  visiting  the  sick,  to  Islr. 
Blytli,  and  to  confine  my  services  to  the  Sundays. 
I  have  been  minister  here  between  seven  and  eight 
years,  without  any  interruption  of  my  happiness; 
and  for  this  I  am  sensible  I  am  in  a  great  measure  m- 
debted  to  the  friendship  of  Mr.  Russell. 

Here  I  have  never  long  intermitted  my  philosophi- 
cal pursuits,  and  I  have  published  two  volumes  of 
experiments,  besides  ccmmunications  to  the  Royiil 
Society. 

Id 


Dr.  Priestley.  ,  99 

In  theology  I  have  completed  my  friendly  contro- 
versy with  the  Bishop  of  Waterford  on  the  duration  of 
Christ's  ministry,  I  have  published  a  variety  of  ingle 
sermons,  which,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  others, 
I  have  lately  collected,  and  published  in  one  volume, 
and  I  am  now  engaged  in  a  controversy  of  great  ex- 
tent, and  which  promises  to  be  of  considerable  conse- 
quence, relating  to  the  person  of  Christ. 

This  was  occasioned  by  my  History  of  the  Corrup- 
tions of  Christianity^  which  I  composed  and  published 
presently  after  my  settlement  at  Birmingham,  the 
first  section  of  which  being  rudely  attacked  in  the 
Monthly  Review,*  then  by  Dr.  Horsely,  and  afterwards 
by  Mr.  Howes,  and  other  particular  opponents,  I  un- 
dertook to  collect  from  the  original  writers  the  state  of 
opinions  on  the  subject  in  the  age  succeeding  that  of 
the  apostles,  and  I  have  published  the  result  of  my 
investigation  in  my  History  of  early  opinions  concer- 
ning 

*  Written  by  Mr.  Badcock.  Mr.  Badcock  was  originally 
a  dissenting  minister.  He  came  to  pay  his  respects  to  my  father  at 
Calne,  at  which  time  he  agreed  with  him  upon  most  subjects.  He 
alter  wards  found  reason  to  change  his  opinions,  or  at  least  his  con- 
duct, connectin;^-  himself  with  the  Clerg-y  of  the  Church  of  Ewgland, 
and  became  iny  father 'j  Litter  enemy. 

G2 


100  Memoirs  oi' 

7i'wg  Jesus  C/irkt,  in  four  volumes  octavo.  This 
\\  ork  has  brought  me  more  antagonists,  and  I  now 
write  a  pamphlet  annually  in  defence  of  the  unitarian 
doctrine  against  all  my  opponents. 

My  only  Arian  antagonist  is  Dr.  Price,  with 
•whom  the  discussion  of  the  question  has  proceeded 
with  perfect  amit}'.  But  no  Arian  has  as  yet  appear- 
ed upon  the  ground  to  which  I  wish  to  confine  the 
controversy,  viz.  the  state  of  oj^inions  in  the  primi- 
tive times,  as  one  means  of  collecting  what  was  the 
doctrine  of  the  apostles,  and  the  true  sense  of  scrip- 
ture on  the  subject. 

Some  years  ago  I  resumed  the  T/icological  Repo- 
sitory in  which  I  first  advanced  my  objections  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  miraculous  conception  of  Jesus, 
and  his  natural  fallibility  and  peccability.  These 
opinions  gave  at  first  great  alarm,  even  to  my  best 
friends  ;  but  that  is  now  in  a  great  measure  subsid- 
ed. For  want  of  sufficient  sale,  I  shall  be  obliged 
to  discontinue  this  Repository  for  some  time. 

At  present  I  thank  God  I  cjyi  say  that  my  pros- 
pects are  better  than  they  have  ever  been  before,  and 
my  o\^n  health,  aiid  that  of  my  wife,  better  establish- 
ed, arid  my  hopes  as  to  the  dispo^/itions  and  future 
settlement  of  my  children  satisfactory. 

I  shall 


Dr.  Priestley.  lOl" 

I  shall  now  close  this  account  of  myself  with  some 
observations  of  a  general  nature,  bui  c.;Lily  an  ac- 
count of  those  circumstances  for  winch  I  iiuve  mo.e 
particular  reason  to  be  thankful  to  that  good  being 
who  has  brought  me  hitherto,  and  to  A\hom  I  truit 
I  habitually  ascribe  whatever  my  partial  frienels  think 
the  world  indebted  to  me  for, 

I.  Not  to  enlarge  again  on  what  has  been  menti- 
oned already,  on  tJie  fundamental  blessings  of  a  reli- 
gious and  liberal  education,  I  have  particular  reason 
to  be  thankful  for  a  happy  temperament  of  body  and 
mind,  both  derived  from  my  parents.  My  father, 
grand  father,  and  several  branches  of  the  fcmily, 
were  remarkably  ht?aUhy,  and  long  lived;  and 
though  my  constitution  has  been  far  from  robust, 
and  was  much  injured  by  a  consumptive  tendency, 
or  rather  an  ulcer  in  my  lungs,  the  consequence  of  im- 
proper conduct  of  myself  when  I. was  at  school  (be- 
ing often  violently  heated  v/ith  exercise,  and  as  of- 
ten imprudently  chilled  by  bathing,  8cc.)  from  which 
with  great  difficulty  I  recovered,  it  has  been  excel- 
lently adapted  to  that  studious  life  which  has  fallen 
to  my  lot. 

I  have  never  been  subject  to  head-achs,  or  any 
G  3  other 


102  Memoirs  of 

other  complaints  that  are  peculiarly  unfavourable 
to  study-  I  have  never  found  myself  less  disposed, 
or  less  qualified,  for  mental  exertions  of  any  kind  at 
one  time  of  the  day  more  than  another;  but  all  sea- 
sons have  been  equal  to  me,  early  or  late,  before  din- 
ner or  after,  &c.  And  so  far  have  I  been  from  suf- 
fering by  itiy  application  to  study,  (which  however 
has  never  been  so  close  or  intense  as  some  have  ima- 
gined) that  I  have  found  my  health  improving  from 
the  age  of  eighteen  to  the  present  time ;  and  never 
have  I  found  myself  more  free  from  any  disorder 
than  at  present-  I  must,  however,  except  a  short 
time  preceding  and  following  my  leaving  Lord  Shel- 
burne,  when  I  laboured  under  a  bilious  complaint, 
in  which  I  was  troubled  with  gall  stones,  which 
sometimes  gave  me  exquisite  pain.  But  by  confi- 
ning myself  to  a  vegetable  diet,  I  perfectly  recovered ; 
and  I  have  now  been  so  long  free  from  the  disorder 
that  I  am  under  no  apprehension  of  its  return. 

It  has  been  a.  singular  happiness  to  me,  and  a  proof, 
I  believe,  of  a  radically  good  constitution,  that  I  have 
always  slept  well,  and  have  awaked  \vith  my  faculties 
perfectly  vigorous,  without  any  disposition  to  drow- 
siness.    Also,  w  hcnever  I  have  been  fatigued  with 

any 


Dr.  Priestley.  10$ 

any  kind  of  exertion,  I  could  at  any  time  sit  down 
and  sleep ;  and  whatever  cause  of  anxiety  I  may  have 
had,  1  have  almost  always  lost  sight  of  it  when  I 
.have  got  to  bed  ;  and  I  have  generally  fallen  asleep 
as  soon  as  I  have  been  warm.* 

I  even  think  it  an  advantage  to  me,  and  am  truly 
thankful  for  it,  that  my  health  received  the  check 
that  it  did  when  I  was  young  ;  since  a  muscular  ha- 
bit from  high  health,  and  strong  spirits,  are  not,  I 
think,  in  general  accompanied  with  that  sensibilit}'  of 
mind,  which  is  both  favourable  to  piety,  and  to  spe- 
culative pursuits. f 

To  a  fundamentally  good  constitution  of  body, 
and  the  being  who  gave  it  me,  I  ov/e  an  even  chear- 
fulness  of  temper,  which  has  had  but  few  interrupti- 
ons. 

*  My  father  was  an  early  riser.  lie  never  slept  more  than  six 
hours.  He  said  he  did  not  remember  having  lost  a  whole  nighfis 
sleep  but  once,  though  -when  awake  he  often  had  to  suffer  much  fi-om 
pain  and  sickness  as  well  as  from  otlier  circumstances  of  a  very  afflic- 
tive nature.     ' 

f  Though  not  a  muscular  man  he  went  through  great  exertion  at 
various  times  of  his  life  with  activity.  He  walked  very  firmly,  and 
expeditiously. 

G4 


104  Memoirs  of 

ons.  This  I  inherit  from  my  father,  who  had  uni- 
formly better  spirits  than  any  man  that  I  ever  knew, 
and  by  this  means  was  as  happy  towards  tlie  close  of 
life,  when  reduced  to  poverty,  and  dependent  upon 
others,  as  in  his  best  days ;  and  who,  I  am  confident, 
would  not  have  been  unhappy,  as  I  have  frequently 
heard  him  say,  in  a  workhouse. 

Though  my  readers  v.  ill  easily  suppose  that,  in 
the  course  of  a  life  so  full  of  vicissitude  as  mine  has 
been,  many  things  nmst  have  occurred  to  mortify 
and  discompose  me,  nothing  has  ever  depressed  my 
mind  beyond  a  very  short  period.  My  spirits  have 
never  fiuled  to  recover  their  natural  level,  and  I  have 
frequently  observed,  and  at  first  with  some  surprize, 
that  the  most  perfect  satisfaction  I  have  ever  felt  has 
been  a  day  or  two  after  an  event  that  afHicted  me  the 
most,  and  without  any  change  having  taken  place 
in  the  state  of  things.  Having  found  this  to  be  the 
case  after  many  of  my  troubles,  the  persuasion  that 
it  would  he  sOy  tdtera  new  cause  of  uneasiness,  has 
never  fiiiled  to  lessen  the  effect  of  its  first  impression, 
and  together  with  my  firm  belief  of  the  doctrine  of 
necessity,  (and  consequently  that  of  every  thing 
being  ordered  for  the  best)  has  contributed  to  that 

degree 


'  Dr.  Priestley.  105 

degree  of  composure  which  I  have  enjoyed  through 
life,  so  that  I  have  always  considered  myself  as  one  of 
the  happiest  of  men. 

When  I  was  a  young  author,  (though  I  did  not 
publish  any  thing  until  I  was  about  thirty)  strictures 
on  my  writings  gave  me  some  disturbance,  though  I 
believe  even  then  less  than  they  do  most  others ;  but 
after  some  time,  things  of  that  kind  hardly  affected 
me  at  all,  and  on  this  account  I  may  be  said  to  have 
been  well  formed  for  public  controversy.*  But 
wtiat  has  always  made  me  easy  in  any  controversy  in 
which  I  have  been  engaged,  has  becH  my  fixed  reso- 
lution frankly  to  acknowledge  any  mistake  that  I 
might  perceive  I  had  fallen  into,  That  I  have  never 
been  in  the  least  backward  to  do  this  in  matters  of 
philosophy,  can  never  be  denied. 

As  I  have  not  failed  to  attend  to  the  phenomena  of 
my  own  mind,  as  \\'ell  as  to  those  of  other  parts  of 

nature, 


*  Though  Dr.  Priestley  has  been  considered  as  fond  of  controversy 
and  that  his  chief  delight  consisted  in  it,  yet  it  is  far  from  being  true. 
He  was  more  frequentl}'  the  defendant  than  the  assailant.  His  con- 
troversies as  far  as  it  depended  upon  himself  were  carried  on  with 
temper  and  decency.  He  was  never  malicious  nor  even  sarcastic  or 
indignant  unless  provoked.  T.  C 


106  Memoirs   ot 

nature,  I  have  not  been  insensible  of  some  great  de- 
fects, as  well  as  some  advantages,  attending  its  con- 
stitution ;  having  from  an  early  period  been  sub- 
ject to  a  most  humbling  failure  of  recollection,  so 
that  I  have  sometimes  lost  all  ideas  of  both  persons 
and  things,  that  1  have  been  conversant  with.  I 
ha',  e  so  completely  forgotten  w  hat  I  have  myself 
published,  that  in  reading  my  own  writings,  what  I 
find  in  them  often  appears  perfectly  new  to  me,  and 
I  have  more  than  once  made  experiments  the  results 
of  which  had  been  published  by  me. 

I  shall  particularly  mention  one  fact  of  this  kind, 
as  it  alarmed  me  much  at  the  time,  as  a  symptom 
of  all  my  mental  powers  totally  failing  me,  until  I  was 
relieved  by  the  recollection  of  things  of  a  similar  na- 
ture having  happened  to  me  before.  When  I  was 
composing  the  Dissertations  which  are  prefixed  to  my 
Harmony  of  the  gospels,  I  had  to  ascertain  something 
which  had  been  the  subject  of  much  discussion  re- 
lating to  the  Jewish  passover  (I  have  now  forgotten 
what  it  was)  and  for  that  purpose  had  to  consult, 
and  compare  several  writers.  This  I  accordingly 
did,  and  digested  the  result  in  the  compass  of  a  few 
paragi-aphs,  which  I  wrote  in  short  hand.  But  ha- 
ving 


Dr.  Priestley.  107 

ving  mislaid  the  paper,  and  my  attention  having  been 
drawn  off  to  other  things,  in  the  space  of  a  fortnight, 
I  did  the  same  thing  over  jgain  ;  and  should  never 
have  discovered  that  I  had  done  it  tv\  ice,  if,  after  the 
second  paper  was  transcribed  for  the  press,  I  had  not 
accidentally  found  the  former,  which  I  viewed  with 
a  degree  of  terror. 

Apprized  of  this  defect,  I  never  fail  to  note  down 
as  soon  as  possible  every  thing  that  I  wish  not  to  for- 
get. The  same  failing  has  led  me  to  devise,  and 
have  recourse  to,  a  variety  of  mechanical  expedients 
to  secure  and  arrange  my  thoughts,  V\'hich  have  been 
of  the  greatest  use  to  me  in  the  composition  of  large 
and  complex  works  ;  and  what  has  excited  the  won- 
der of  some  of  my  readers,  would  only  have  made 
them  smile  if  they  had  seen  me  at  work.  But  by 
simple  and  mechanical  methods  one  man  shall  do 
that  in  a  month,  w  hich  shall  cost  another,  of  equal 
ability,  whole  years  to  execute.  This  methodical 
tirrangement  of  a  large  work  is  greatly  facilitated  by 
mechanical  methods,  and  nothing  contributes  more 
to  the  perspicuity  of  a  large  work,  than  a  good  ar- 
rangement of  its  parts. 

What  I  have  known  with  respect  to  myself  has 

tended 


103  Memoirs  or 

tended  much  to  lessen  both  my  admiration,  and  my 
Contempt,  of  others.  Could  we  have  entered  into 
the  mind  of  Sir  Isaac  Ne\\ton,  and  have  traced  all  the 
steps  bv  which  he  produced  his  great  works,  wc 
iiii^ht  bce  nothing  very  extraordinary  in  the  process. 
Aad  great  pov>  ers  v^ith  respect  to  some  things  are  gc- 
nerally  attended  with  great  defects  in  others ;  and 
these  may  not  appear  in  a  man's  writings.  For  this 
reason  it  seldom  happens  but  that  our  admiration  of 
philosophers  and  writers  is  lessened  by  a  personal 
knowledge  of  them. 

As  great  excellencies  are  often  balanced  by  great, 
though  not  apparent,  defects,  so  great  and  apparent 
defects  are  often  accompanied  by  great,  though  not 
apparent,  excellencies.  Thus  my  defect  in  point  of 
recollection,  which  may  be  owing  to  a  want  of  suffi- 
cient coherence  in  the  association  of  ideas  formerly 
impressed,  may  arise  from  a  mental  constitution  more 
favourable  to  new  associations  ;  so  that  what  I  have 
lost  with  respect  to  memory,  may  have  been  com- 
pensated by  what  is  called  invention,  or  new  and  ori- 
ginal combinations  of  ideas.  This  is  a  subject  that 
deserves  attention,  as  \vell  as  every  thing  else  that 
relates  to  the  affections  of  the  mind. 

Though 


Dr.  Priestley.  109 

Though  I  have  often  composed  much  in  a  I'ttle 
time,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  I  could  have  done 
much  in  a  given  time.  For  whenever  1  have  drne 
much  business  in  a  short  time,  it  has  always  been 
with  the  idea  of  having  time  more  than  sufficient:  to 
do  it  in  ;  so  that  I  have  always  felt  myself  at  ease, 
and  I  could  have  done  nothing,  as  many  can,  if  I  had 
ibeen  hurried. 

Knowing  the  necessity  of  this  state  of  my  mind  to 
the  dispatch  of  business,  I  have  never  put  off  any 
Ihing  to  the  last  moment ;  and  instead  of  doi.ig  that 
on  the  morrow  which  ought  to  be  done  to  d^iy,  I 
have  often  blamed  myself  for  doing  to  d^ry  \vh  it  had 
better  have  been  put  off  until  to  morrow ;  precipitan- 
cy being  more  my  fault  than  procrastination. 

It  has  been  a  great  advantage  to  me  that  I  have 
never  been  under  the  necessity  of  retiring  from  com- 
pany in  order  to  compo;se  any  thing.  Being  fo'.id  of 
domestic  life,  I  got  a  habit  of  writing  on  any  subject- 
by  the  parlour  fire,  with  my  wife  and  children  about 
me,  and  occasionally  talking  to  them,  without  expe- 
riencing any  inconvenience  from  such  interruptions. 
Nothing  but  reading,  or  speaking  without  interrupti- 
on, has  been  any  obstru ction  to  rae.     For  I  could  uot 

he:p 


110  Memoirs  or 

help  attending  (as  some  can)  when  others  spoke  in  my 
hearing.  These  are  useful  habits,  M-hich  studious 
persons  in  general  might  acquire,  if  they  would ;  and 
many  persons  greatly  distress  themselves,  and  others, 
by  the  idea  that  they  can  do  nothing  except  in  perfect 
solitude  or  silence. 

Another  great  subject  ofmy  thankfulness  to  a  good 
providence  is  my  perfect  freedom  from  any  embar- 
rassment in  my  circumstances,  so  that,  without  any 
anxiety  on  the  subject,  my  supplies  have  always  been 
equal  to  my  wants  ;  and  now  that  my  expences  arc 
increased  to  a  degree  that  I  had  no  conception  of 
some  years  ago,  I  am  a  richer  man  than  I  w^as,  and 
without  laying  myself  out  for  the  purpose.  What 
is  more,  this  indifference  about  an  increase  of  for- 
tune has  been  the  means  of  attaining  it.  When  I  be- 
gain  my  experiments,  I  expended  on  them  all  the 
money  I  could  possibly  raise,  earned  on  by  my  ar- 
dour in  philosophical  investigations,  and  entirely  re- 
gardless of  consequences,  except  so  far  as  never  to 
contract  any  debt ;  and  if  this  had  been  without  suc- 
cess, my  imprudence  ^^ould  have  been  manifest. 
But  having  succeeded,  I  was  in  time  more  than  in- 
demnified for  all  that  I  had  expended. 

My. 


Dr.  Priestley.  Ill 

My  theological  studies,  especially  those  which 
made  it  necessary  for  me  to  consult  the  Christian 
Fathers,  &c.  have  also  been  expensive  to  me.  But 
I  have  found  my  theological  friends  even  more  libe- 
ral than  my  philosophical  ones,  and  ail  beyond  my 
expectations. 

In  reflecting  on  my  past  life  I  have  often  thought 
oftwo  sayings  of  Jacob.  When  he  had  lost  one  of  his 
sons,  and  thought  of  other  things  that  were  afflictions 
to  him,  he  said,  "  all  these  things  are  against  me," 
at  the  same  time  that  they  were  in  reality  making  for 
him.  So  the  impediment  in  my  speech,  and  the 
difficulties  of  my  situation  at  Needham,  I  now  sec 
as  much  cause  to  be  thankful  for,  as  for  the  most 
brilliant  scenes  in  my  life. 

I  have  also  applied  to  myself  what  Jacob  said  on  his 
return  from  Padan  Aram.  "  With  my  staff  I  went 
over  this  Jordan,  and  now  I  am  become  two  bands  ;'* 
when  I  consider  how  little  I  carried  with  me  to 
Needham  and  Nantwich,  how  much  more  I  had  to 
carry  to  Warrington,  how  much  more  still  to  Leeds, 
how  much  more  than  that  to  Calne,  and  then  to  Bir- 
mingham. 

Yet,   frequently  as  I  have  changed  my  situation, 

and 


112  MEMOIRS    OF 

and  alwa5's  for  the  better,  I  can  truly  say  that  1  never 
wished  for  any  change  on  my  own  account.  I  should 
have  been  contented  even  at  Ncedham,  if  I  could 
have  been  unmolested,  and  had  bare  necessaries. 
This  freedom  from  anxiety  \ya^  remarkable  in  my 
father,  and  therefore  is  in  a  manner  hereditary  to 
me  ;  but  it  has  been  much  increased  by  reflection  ; 
having  frequently  observed,  especially  with  respect 
to  christian  ministers,  how  often  it  has  contributed 
to  embitter  their  lives,  without  being  of  any  use  to 
them.  Some  attention  to  the  improvement  of  a 
man's  circumstances  is,  no  doubt,  right,  because 
no  man  can  tell  what  occasion  he  may  have  for  mo- 
ney, especially  if  he  have  children,  and  therefore  I 
do  not  recommend  my  example  to  others.  But  I 
am  thankful  to  that  good  providence  v\  hich  always 
took  more  care  of  me  than  I  ever  took  of  myself. 

Hitherto  I  have  had  great  reason  to  be  thankful 
with  respect  to  my  children,  as  they  have  a  prospect 
of  enjoying  a  good  share  of  health,  and  a  sufficient 
capacity  for  performing  the  duties  of  their  stations. 
They  have  also  good  dispositions,  and  as  much  as 
could  be  expected  at  their  age,  a  sense  of  religion. 
But  as  I  hope  they  \\ill  live  to  see  tliis  work,  I  say 

the 


Dr.  Priestley.  113 

the  less  on  this  subject,  and  I  hope  they  will  consul, 
tfer  what  I  say  in  their  favour  as  an  incitement  to 
exert  themselves  to  act  a  christian  and  useful  pai't 
in  life ;  that  the  care  that  I  and  their  mother  have 
taken  of  their  instruction  may  not  be  lost  upon  them, 
and  that  they  may  secure  a  happy  meeting  with  us 
in  a  better  world. 

I  esteem  it  a  singular  happiness  to  have  lived  in 
an  age  and  couiitry,  in  wiiich  I  haV'C  been  at  Hill  li- 
berty both  to  investigate,  and  by  preaching  and  writ- 
ing to  propagate,  religious  truth ;  that  though  the 
freedom  I  have  used  for  this  pu  -pose  was  for  some 
time  disadvantageous  to  me,  it  was  not  long  so, 
and  that  my  present  situation  h  such  that  I  can  with 
the  greatest  openness  urge  whatever  appears  to  me 
to  be  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  not  only  without  giving 
the  least  offence,  but  with  the  iiitire  approbation  of 
those  with  whom  I  am  particularly  connected. 

As  to  the  dislike  which  I  have  dia'vn  upon  my- 
self by  my  writings,  whether  th.it  of  the  Cilvi  )i:tic 
party,  in  or  out  of  the  church  of  England,  those 
who  rank  with  rational  dissenters  (but  who  h.ive 
been  exceedingly  offended  at  my  C4iTy!.,|cr  ^ay  in- 
quiries farther  than  thsy  wished  any  periioa  to  do) 

H  or 


114  Memoirs  of 

or  whether  they  be  unbelievers,  I  am  thankful  that 
It  gives  less  disturbance  to  mc  than  it  does  to  them- 
selves; and  that  their  dislike  is  much  more  than 
compensated  by  the  cordial  esteem  and  approbation 
of  my  conduct  by  a  few,  whose  minds  are  congenial 
to  my  own,  and  especially  that  the  number  of  such 
person  increases.  [^Birmiugham^  1787. 


A  Contmuation  of  the  Memoirs,  written  at  Northum- 
berland in  America  in  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1795, 

VV  HEN  I  wrote  the  preceding  part  of  these 
Memoirs  I  was  happy  as  must  have  appeared  in 
the  course  of  them,  in  the  prospect  of  spending  the 
remainder  of  my  life  at  Birmingham,  where  I  had 
every  advantage  for  pursuing  my  studies,  both  phi- 
losophical and  theological  j  but  it  pleased  the  sove- 
reign disposer  of  all  things  to  appoint  for  me  other, 
removals,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  were  brought 
about  were  more  painful  to  me  than  the  removals- 
themselves.  I  am  far,  however,  from  questioning'  • 
the  wisdom  or  the  goodness  of  the  appointments  re-r  ' 
spe cting*  myself  or  odiers.. . 


Dr.  Priestley.  115 

To  resume  the  account  of  my  pursuits  where  the 
former  part  of  the  Memoirs  left  it,  I  must  observe 
that,  in  the  prosecution  of  my  experiments^  I  was  led 
to  maintain  the  doctrine  of  phlogiston  against  Mr, 
Lavoisier  and  other  chemists  in  France,  whose  opi- 
nions were  adopted  not  only  by  almost  all  the  philo- 
sophers of  that  country,  but  by  those  in  England 
and  Scodand  also.  My  friends,  however,  of  the 
huiar  society  were  never  satisfied  with  the  Anti-phlo- 
gistic doctrine.  My  experiments  and  observations 
on  this  subject  were  published  in  various  papers  in 
tlie  Philosophical  Transactions.  At  Birmingham  I 
also  published  a  new  edition  of  my  publications  on 
the  subject  of  air^  and  others  connected  with  it,  re- 
ducing the  six  volumes  to  three,  which,  with  his 
consent,  I  dedicated  to  the  prince  of  Wales. 

In  theology  I  continued  my  defences  of  Unitarian' 
hm,  until  it  appeared  to  myself  and  my  friends  that 
my  antagonists  produced  nothing  to  which  it  was  of 
any  consequence  to  reply.  But  I  did  not,  as  I  had 
proposed,  publish  any  address  to  the  bishops,  or  to 
tlie  legislature,  on  the  subject.  The  former  I  wrote, 
but  did  not  publish.  I  left  it,  however,  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Bdsham  when  I  came  to  America,  that  he 

H  2  might 


116  Memoirs  o«  'f 

might  dispose  of  it  as  he  should  tliiiik  proper. 

Tlie  rftiiib  that  I  took  to  ascertain  the  stiite  of  earljr 
opinions  coiiccniing  Jebus  Chiiat,  and  tiir  great  mis*- 
apprehensions  I  perceived  in  all  the  ecck;iastical  hi^ 
torians,  kd  me  to  undertake  a  General  History  of  tlic 
christian  chunk  to  the  fall  of  the  V/cstern  empire-^ 
Vvhich  accordingly  I  wrote  in  tuo  volumes  octavo, 
and  dedicated  to  Mr.  Shore.  This  work  I  mean 
lo  continue. 

At  Birmingham  I  wrote  the  second  part  of  my 
Letters  to  a  philosophical  Unbeliever,  and  dedicated 
the  w  hole  to  Mr.  Tayleur  of  Shrewsbury,  who  had 
afforded  me  most  material  assistance  in  the  publica- 
tion of  many  of  my  theological  works,  without 
which,  the  sale  being  inconsiderable,  I  should  not 
have  been  able  to  publish  them  at  all. 

Before  I  left  Birmingham  I  preached  a  funeral 
sermon  for  my  friend  Dr.  Price,  and  another  for  Mr, 
Robinson  of  Cambridge,  w  ho  died  with  us  on  a  visit 
to  preach  our  annual  charity  school  sermon.  I  also 
preached  the  la-sit  annual  sermon  to  the  friends  of 
tlie  college  at  Hackney.  All  diese  three  sermons 
vvere  published. 

Alx)ut  two   )cars  before  I  left  Birmingham  the- 

question 


Dr.  Priestley.  1J7 

question  about  the  test  act  was  much  agitated  both 
in  and  out  of  parli;{ment.  This,  however,  was  alto^ 
gether  without  any  concurrence  of  mine.  I  only 
delivered,  and  published,  a  sermon  on  the  5th  of 
November  1789,  recommending  the, most  peaceable 
method  of  pursuing  our  object.  Mr.  Madan,how, 
ever,  the  most  respectable  clergyman  in  the  town, 
preaching  and  publishing  a  most  inflammatory  ser- 
mon on  the  Lubjcct,  inveighing  in  the  bitterest  man- 
ner against  the  Dissenters  in  general,  and  myself  in 
particular,  I  addressed  a  number  oi  familiar  letter$ 
40  the  inhabitants  of  Birmingham  in  our  defence. 
This  produced  a  reply  from  him,  and  other  letters 
from  me.  All  mine  vvcre  written  in  an  ironical  and 
rather  a  pleasant  manner,  and  in  some  of  the  last  of 
them  I  introduced  a  farther  reply  to  Mr.  Bum,  ano- 
ther clergym.\n  in  Birmingham,  who  had  addressed 
to  mc  letters  on  the  infallibility  of  the  testimony  of  the 
Apostles  coticernir.g  the  per sm  of  Christ,  after  replying 
to  his  first  set  of  Letters,  in  a  separate  publication. 

From  tlvese  small  pieces  I  was  far  from  expecting 
any  serious  consequences.  But  the  Dissenters  in 
general  being  very  obnoxious  to  the  court,  and  it 
Veiiig  imagined,  though  without  any  reason,  that  I 
r*  H  3  had 


118  Memoirs  of 

had  been  the  chief  promoter  of  the  measures  which 
gave  them  offence,  the  clergy,  not  only  in  Birming- 
ham, but  through  all  England,  seemed  to  make  it 
their  business,  by  writing  in  the  public  papers,  by 
preaching,  and  other  methods,  to  inflame  the  minds 
of  the  people  against  me.  And  on  occasion  of  the 
celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  the  French  revoluti- 
on on  July  14th,  1791,  by  several  of  my  friends, 
but  with  which  I  had  little  to  do,  a  mob  encouraged 
by  some  persons  in  power,  first  burned  the  meeting 
house  in  which  I  preached,  then  another  meeting 
house  in  the  town,  and  then  my  dwelling  house,  de- 
molishing my  library,  apparatus,  and,  as  far  as  they 
could,  every  thing  belonging  to  me.  They  also 
burned,  or  much  damaged,  the  houses  of  many 
Dissenters,  chiefly  my  friends;  the  particulars  of 
which  I  need  not  recite,  as  they  will  be  found  in  two 
Appeals  wiMxch  I  published  on  the  subject  written  pre- 
sently after  the  riots. 

Being  in  some  personal  danger  on  this  occasion, 
I  went  to  London ;  and  so  violent  was  the  spirit  of 
party  which  then  prevailed,  that  I  believe  I  could 
hardly  have  been  safe  in  any  other  place.  There, 
however,  I  v/as  perfectly  so,  diough  I  continued  to 

be 


Dr.  Priestley.  119 

be  an  object  of  troublesome  attention  until  I  left  the 
country  altogether.  It  shewed  no  small  degree  of 
courage  and  friendship  in  Mr.  William  Vaughan  to 
receive  me  into  his  house,  and  also  in  Mr.  Sake, 
with  whom  I  spent  a  month  at  Tottenham.  But  it 
shewed  more  in  Dr.  Price's  congregation  at  Hack- 
ney, to  invite  me  to  succeed  him,  which  they  did, 
though  not  unanimously,  some  time  after  my  arrival 
in  London, 

III  this  situation  I  found  myself  as  happy  as  I  had 
been  at  Birmingham,  and  contrary  to  genefal  ex- 
pectation, I  opened  my  lectures  to  young  persons 
with  great  success,  being  attended  by  many  from 
London ;  and  though  I  lost  some  of  the  hearers,  I 

.    left  the  congregation  in  a  better  situation  tlian  that 
in  which  I  found  it. 

On  the  whole,  I  spent  my  time  even  more  happily 
at  Hackney  than  ever  I  had  done  before ;  having 
every  advantage  for  my  philosophical  and  theological 
studies,  in  some  respect  superior  to  what  I  had  en- 
joyed at  Birmingham,  especially  from  my  easy  access 
to  Mr.  Lindsey,  and  my  frequent  intercourse  with 
Mr.  Belsham,  professor  of  divinity  in  the  New  Col- 

,,■  lege,  near  which  I  lived.     Never,  on  this  side  the 

H  4  grave. 


120'  Memoirs   of 

grave,  do  I  expect  to  enjoy  myself  so  much  as  I  did 
b}^  tlie  file  siee  of  Mr.  Lindsey,  conversing  with 
bun  ai.d  Mrs.  Liudsey  oil  theological  and  other  sub- 
jects, or  in  my  frequent  ^v  alks  \\  ith  Mr.  Belsham, 
whoiC  vicv\  s  of  most  important  subjects  were,  liko 
I>ir.  Liadsey*s,  the  same  with  my  own. 

I  found,  however,  my  society  much  restiicted 
with  respect  to  my  philosophical  acquaintance ;  most 
of  the  members  of  the  Royal  Society  shunning  me 
on  account  of  my  reiigious  or  political  opinions,  so 
tlia.  I  at  length  withdiew  myself  from  them,  and 
gave  my  reasons  for  so  doing  in  the  Preface  ta  my 
Gbser'uaticns  and  Experiments  on  the  gcneratio?i  of 
air  J'ram  ivaicr^  which  I  published  at  Hackney. 
Fur,  Vv  iili  the  a^^istance  of  my  friends,  I  had  in  a 
gi  eat  measure  replaced  my  Apparatus,  and  had  re- 
sumed my  expeiiinents,  though  after  the  loss  of 
near  t\\  o  years. 

Living  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  New  College^ 
I  voluntaiily  undertook  to  deliver  the  lectures  to  the, 
■pupiiiion  the  subject  of  History  and  General  policy^ 
w  hich  I  had  composed  at  Warrington,  and  also  on 
Experimental  Ihilosophy  and  Chemistry^  the  Heads 
oivvhicii  1  drew  up  for  ihii,  puiposc,  and  afterwards 

published. 


Dr.  Priestley.  121 

published.  In  being  useful  to  this  Institution  I 
found  a  source  of  considerable  satisfaction  to  myself. 
Indeed,  I  have  always  had  a  high  degree  af  enjoy- 
ment in  lecturing  to  young  persons,  though  more 
Qn  theological  subjects  than  on  any  other. 

After  the  riots  in  Birmingham  I  wrote  an  Appeal 
to  the  Public  on  the  subject,  and  that  being  replied 
to  by  the  clergy  of  the  place,  I  wrote  a  second  part^ 
to  which,  though  they  had  pledged  themselves  to 
do  it,  they  made  no  reply ;  so  that,  in  fact  the  cri. 
minalit}'  of  the  magisti'ates,  and  other  principal  High- 
church  men  at  Birmiugham,  in  promoting  the  riot, 
remains  acknowledged.  Indeed,  many  circumstan- 
ces, which  have  appeared  since  that  time,  shew  that 
tlie  friends  of  the  court,  if  not  the  prime  ministers 
themselves,  were  the  favourers  of  that  riot ;  having, 
no  doubt,  thought  to  intimidate  the  friends  of  liber- 
ty by  the  measure. 

To  my  Appeal  I  subjoined  various  Addresses^ 

that 


•  Many  of  these  addresses  have  been  published  already.  In  the 
appendix  to  the  present  life  (  No.  7 . )  will  be  given  an  arranged  list 
»f  the  addresses  to  Dr.  Priestley  from  various  bodies  of  men  at  varl- 
«u«  times  of  bis  life  ;    tUey  illustr&te  the  following  positions  so  lio- 

r.ourabls 


122  Memoirs  of 

that  were  sent  to  me  from  several  descriptions  of 
persons  in  England,  and  abroad  ;  and  from  them  I 
will  not  deny  that  I  received  much  satisfaction,  as  it 
appeared  that  the  friends  of  liberty,  civil  and  religi- 
ous, were  of  opinion  that  I  was  a  sufferer  in  that 
cause.  From  France  I  received  a  considerable 
number  of  Addresses  ;  and  when  the  present  Nati- 
onal Cotivefition  was  called,  I  was  invited  by  many 
of  tlie  departments  to  be  a  member  of  it.     But  I 

thought 


nourablc  to  his  character,  and  so  necessary  to  a  ju8t  view  of  it.     1st 
That  wherever  he  officiated  ae  a  dissenting  minister,  he  never  quitted 
his  situation  but  with  the  sincere  regrets  of  those  among  whom  he 
had  resided,  and  with  parting  testimonies  of  their  affectionate  appro- 
bation of  his  conduct.    2dly.  That  the  riots  at  Birmingham  called 
forth  such  abundant  testimonies  in  favour  of  his  moral  conduct  and 
eminent  usefulness,  that  the  promoters  of  those  riots  whether  in  church 
or   state  can  liave  no  palliation  in  the  eje  of  a  discerning  public  for 
their  proceedings,  so  fiu*as  he  was  the  object  of  them.      Those  only 
Use  violence  in  opposition  to  argument  wlio  have  no  argument  to  use. 
3dly.  That  his  quitting  England  for  America,  was  regarded  as  a  nati- 
onal loss  to  Great  Britain,  and  the  circumstances  which  induced  it,-a 
national  disgi'ace.     4tlily.  That  his  reception  in  this  country  was  as 
honourable  as  his  friends  l\ad  reason  to  expect :  And  his  demeanour 
since  liis  residence  here,  has  been  such  as  to  gain  him  encreased  re- 
putation aiid  respect,  among  those  who  knew  nothing  of  him  person^ 
ally  before  his  Drrival.  T.  C. 


Dr.  Priestley.  123 

thought  myself  more  usefully  employed  at  home, 
and  that  I  was  but  ill  qualified  for  a  business  which 
required  knowledge  which  none  but  a  native  of  the 
country  could  possess ;  and  therefore  declined  the 
honour  that  was  proposed  to  mc. 

But  no  addresses  gave  me  so  much  satisfaction 
as  those  from  my  late  congregation,  and  especially  of 
the  young  persons  belonging  to  it,  who  had  attended 
my  lectures.  They  are  a  standing  testimony  of  the 
zeal  and  fidelity  with  which  I  did  my  duty  with  re- 
spect to  them,  and  which  I  value  highly. 

Besides  congratulatory  addresses,  I  received  much 
pecuniary  assistance  from  various  persons,  and  bo- 
dies of  men,  which  more  than  compensated  for  my 
pecuniary  losses,  though  what  was  awarded  me  at 
the  Assizes  fell  two  thousand  pounds  short  of  them. 
But  my  brother-in-law,  Mr.  John  Wilkinson,  from 
whom  I  had  not  at  that  time  any  expectation,  in 
consequence  of  my  son's  leaving  his  employment, 
was  the  most  generous  on  the  occasion.  Without 
any  solicitation,  he  immediately  sent  me  five  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  afterwards  transferred  to  me  ten 
thousand  pounds  which  he  had  deposited  in  the 
French  funds,  and  until  that  be  productive,  he  allows 

me  two  hundred  pounds  per  annum. 

After 


124  Memoirs  of 

After  the  riots,  I  published  my  Letters  to  the 
Swedenborgian  Society,  vvhieh  I  had  composed,  and 
prepared  for  the  press  just  before. 

Mr.  Wakefield  hving  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
College,  and  publishing  at  this  time  his  objections 
to  public  ijjorship,  they  made  a  great  impression  on 
many  of  our  young  men,  and  in  his  Preface  he  re- 
flected much  on  the  character  of  Dr.  Price.  On 
both  these  accounts  I  thought  myself  c:illed  upon  to 
reply  to  him,  which  I  did  in  a  series  of  Letters  to  a 
young  man.  But  though  he  made  several  angry  re- 
plies, I  never  noticed  any  of  them.  In  this  situation 
I  also  answered  Mr.  Evanson^'s  Obser'oations  on  the 
dissonance  of  the  Evangelists  in  a  second  set  of  Letters 
to  a  young  man.  He  also  replied  to  me,  but  I  was 
satisfied  with  what  I  had  done,  and  did  not  continue 
the  controversy. 

Besides  the  sermon  which  I  delivered  on  my  accept- 
ance of  the  invitation  to  the  meeting  at  Hackney,  in 
the  preface  to  which  I  gave  a  detailed  account  of  my 
system  of  catechizing,  I  published  tv\'o  Fast  sermons 
for  the  years  1793  and  1794,  in  the  latter  of  which  I 
gave  my  ideas  of  antient  prophecies  compared  with 
tlie  then  state  of  Europe,  and  in  the  preface  to  it  I 

gave 


Dr.  Priestley.  12S 

,gave  an  account  of  my  reasons  for  leaving  the  coun- 
try.    I  also  published  a  Farenuell  sermon,^ 

But  the  most  important  of  my  publications  in  this 
situation  \vere  a  series  of  Z<?//^r^  to  the  Philosophers 
and  PoTiticians  of  France  on  the  subject  of  Religion, 
I  thought  that  the  light  in  which  I  then  stood  in  that 
country  gave  me  some  advantage  in  my  attempts  to 
enforce  the  evidence  of  natural  and  revealed  religion. 
I  also  published  a  set  o^  sermons  on  the  evidences  of 
revelation^  which  I  first  delivered  by  public  notice, 
and  the  delivery  of  which  was  attended  by  great 
numb'^rs-  They  were  printed  just  before  I  left  Eng- 
land. 

As  the  reasons  for  this  step  in  my  conduct  are  gi. 
ven  at  large  in  the  preface  to  my  Fast  sermon,  I  shall 
not  dwell  upon  them  here.  The  bigotry  of  the 
,<;ountry  in  general  made  it  impossible  for  me  to  place 
my  sons  in  it  to  any  advantage.  William  had  been 
some  time  in  France,  and  on  the  breaking  out  of  the 
troubles  in  that  country  he  had  embarked  for  Ameri- 
ca, where  his  two  brothers  met  him.     My  own  situ- 

a'ion, 


•  These  reasons,  as  shewing  the  progress  and  state  of  his  mind  that 
iiduced  tills  new  xra  of  his  life,  will  be  Inserted  hereauer. 


126  Memoirs  of 

ation,  if  not  hazardous,  was  become  unpleasant,  so 
that  I  thonght  my  removal  would  be  of  more  service 
to  the  cause  of  truth  than  my  longer  stay  in  England. 
At  length,  therefore,  with  the  approbation  of  all  my 
friends,  without  exceprion,  but  with  great  reluc- 
tance on  my  own  part,  I  came  to  that  resolution  ;  I 
being  at  a  time  of  life  in  which  I  could  not  expect 
much  satisfaction  as  to  friends  and  society,  compara- 
ble to  that  which  I  left,  in  which  the  resumption  of 
my  philosophical  pursuits  must  be  attended  with 
great  disadvantage,  and  in  ^\hich  success  in  my  still 
more  favourite  pursuit,  the  propagation  ofunitarian- 
ism,  was  still  more  uncertain.  It  was  also  painful  to 
me  to  leave  my  daughter,  Mr.  Finch  having  the 
greatest  aversion  to  leave  his  relations  and  friends  in 
England. 

At  the  time  of  my  leaving  England  my  son  in  con- 
junction  with  Mr.  Cooper,  and  other  English  emi- 
grants, had  a  scheme  for  a  large  settlement  for  the 
friends  of  liberty  in  general  near  the  head  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna in  Pennsylvania.  And  taking  it  for  granted 
that  it  would  be  carried  into  effect,  after  landing  at 
New- York,  I  went  to  Philadelphia,  and  thence  came 
to  Nortlium!:erIand,  a  town  the  nearest  to  the  propos- 

cd 


Dr.  PRiESTLEr.  127 

ed  settlement,  thinking  to  reside  tliere  until  some 
progress  had  been  made  in  it.  The  settlement  was 
given  up ;  but  being  here,  and  my  wife  and  myself 
liking  the  place,  I  have  determined  to  take  up  my  re- 
sidence here,  though  subject  to  many  disadvantages. 
Philadelphia  was  excessively  expensive,  and  this  com- 
paratively a  cheap  place ;  and  my  son's,  settling  in  the 
neighbourhood,  will  be  less  exposed  to  temptation, 
and  more  likely  to  form  habits  of  sobriety  and  indus- 
try. They  will  also  be  settled  at  much  less  expence 
than  in  or  near  a  large  town.  We  hope,  after  some 
time,  to  be  joined  by  a  few  of  our  friends  from  Eng- 
land, that  a  readier  communication  will  be  opened 
with  Philadelphia,  and  that  the  place  will  improve, 
and  become  more  eligible  in  other  respects. 

When  I  was  at  sea,  I  wrote  some  ohervaiions  on 
the  cause  of  the  present  preijalence  of  infidelity  ^  which 
I  pubUshed,  and  prefixed  to  a  new  edition  of  the 
Letters  to  the  Philosophers  and  Politicians  of  Fiance, 
I  have  also  published  my  Fast  and  Farewell  sermons, 
and  my  small  tracts  in  defence  of  unitarianism,  also  a 
Continuation  of  those  Letters,  and  a  third  part  of  Let- 
ters to  a  Philosophical  Unheliei^er^  in  answer  to  Mr, 
Paine^s  Age  of  Reason* 

The 


123  Memoirs  of 

The  observations  on  the  prevalence  of  infidelity  I 
have  much  enlarged,  and  intend  soon  to  print ;  but  I 
am  chiefly  employed  on  the  Continuation  of  my  His- 
tor}'-  of  the  christian  church. 

Northumberland,  March  24,  1795,  in  v>hich  I 
have  completed  the  sixty  second  year  of  my  age. 


129 


A 

CONTINUATION 

OF    THE 

MEMOIRS 

OF 

Dr.    JOSEPH    PRIESTLEY. 

[^ffritlen  by  Ms  Son  Joseph  Priestley.'] 


X  HUS  far  the  narrative  is  from  my  father's  manu- 
script, and  I  regret  extremely,  with  the  reader,  that 
it  falls  to  my  lot  to  give  an  account  of  the  latter  peri- 
od of  his  valuable  life. 

I  entertained  hopes  at  one  time,  that  he  would 
have  continued  it  himself;  and  he  was  frequently  re- 
quested to  do  so,  by  me  and  many  of  his  friends  in 
the  course  of  the  year  preceding  his  death.  He 
had  then  nearly  compleated  all  the  literary  works  he 
had  in  view,  he  had   arrived  at  that  period  of  life 

I  when, 


130  CoNTINUATTON    OF 

\\  hen,  in  imitation  of  his  friend  Mr.  Lindsey,  he  had 
determined  not  to  preach  again  in  public,  and  be- 
yond which  he  probably  would  not  have  ventured  to 
publish  any  work  without  first  subjecting  it  to  the 
inspection  of  some  judicious  friend. 

He  was  requested  also,  in  imitation  of  Courayer, 
to  add  at  the  close  of  his  Memoirs  a  summary  of  his 
religious  opinions.     This  would  have  counteracted 
the  suspicions  entertained  by  some,  that  they  had 
undergone  a  considerable  change  since  his  coming 
to  America  ;  and  it  was  thought  by  his  friends,  that 
sucHabrief  and  simple  statement  of  all  that  appeared 
to  him  essential  to  the  christian  belief,  and  the  chris- 
tian character,  \vould  attract  the  attention  of  many 
readers  previously  indisposed  to  religion  altogether, 
from  not  understanding  its  real  nature,  and  judging 
of  it  only  fiom  the  corrupt,  adulterated,  and  compli- 
cated state,  in  which  it  is  professed  in  all  countries 
called  christian.     Unbelievers  in  general  have   no 
conception  of  the  perfect  coin:  dence  of  Christianity 
witli  rational  philosophy,  of  the  sublime  views  it  af- 
fords of  the  divine  benevolence,  and  how  powerfully 
it  acts  to  promote  the  pleasures  and  lessen  the  evils 
of  the  present  life,  at  the  same  time  tliat  it  holds  out 

to 


THE  Memoirs.  131 

to  us  a  certain  prospect  of  a  future  and  endless  state 
of  enjoyment.     It  was  suggested  to  him  also,  that 
as  his  society  through  life  had  been  singularly  varied 
and  extensive,  and  his  opportunities  of  attaining  a  ge- 
neral knowledge  of  the  world,  and  a  particular  know- 
kdge  of  eminent  political  and  literary  characters, 
veiy  great,  it  would  contribute  much  to  the  instruc- 
tion and  amusement  of  those  into  whose  hands  his 
Memoirs  should  fall,  if  they  were  accompanied  with 
anecdotes  of  the  principal  characters  with  whom  he 
had  been  acquainted.       For  he  had  a  fund  of  a- 
necdote  which  he  was  never  backward  to  produce 
for  the  amusement  of  his  friends,  as  occasions  serv- 
ed for  introducing  it.     But  his  relations  were  never 
sarcastic  or  ironical,  or  tended  to  disparage    the 
characters  of  the  persons  spoken  of,  unless  on  sub- 
jects of  manifest  importance  to  the  interests  of  soci- 
ety. 

He  meant  to  have  complied  with  the  above  sugges- 
tions, but  being  at  that  time  very  busily  employed  a- 
bout  his  Comparison,  and  thinking  his  Memoirs  of  lit- 
tle value  compared  with  the  works  about  which  he 
wasthen  engaged,  he  put  off  the  completion  cfhisnar. 
rative,  until  his  other  works  should  be  ready  for  the 

1 2  press. 


132  Continuation  of 

press.  Unfortunately  this  was  too  late.  The  work 
he  had  in  hand  was  not  compltated  until  the  22d  Ja- 
nuary, W'hen  he  was  very  weak  and  suffered  greatly 
from  his  disorder,  and  he  died  on  the  6th  of  Febru- 
ary follow  ing : 

The  reader  will  therefore  make  allowance  for  the 
difference  between  what  these  Memoirs  might  have 
been,  and  what  they  now  are;  and  particularly  for 
the  part  which  I  venture  to  lay  before  the  public  as 
a  continuation  of  his  own  account. 

The  re-sons  that  induced  him  to  quit  England, 
and  the  progress  of  his  opinions  and  inclinations  re- 
specting that  last  important  ^ra  in  his  life,  have  been 
but  briefly  stated  in  the  preceding  pages  by  himself. 
But  as  many  may  peruse  these  Memoirs,  i)ito  whose 
hands  his  appeal  to  the  public,  occasioned  by  the 
riots  at  Birmingham,  and  his  Fast  sermon,  in  which 
he  assigns  at  length  his  reasons  for  leaving  his  native 
country,  are  not  likely  to  fall ;  I  think  it  right  to 
present  to  tiie  readers,  in  his  own  words  the  history 
of  the  motives  that  impelled  him  to  exchange  his  re- 
sidence in  England  for  one  in  this  country. 

The  disgraceful  riots  at  Birmingham  were  certain- 
ly the  chief  cause  diat  first  induced  my  father  to 

think 


THE   Memoirs.  133 

think  of  leaving  England,  though  at  the  time  of  his 
writing  the  second  part  of  the  Appeal,  in  August 
1792,  he  had  not  come  to  any  determination  on  the 
subject.  Tiiis  appears  from  the  following  passage 
which  as  it  she\A's  the  progress  of  his  discontent,  and 
likewise  the  true  state  of  his  political  opinions,  pai-- 
ticularly  in  relation  to  the  English  form  of  govern- 
ment I  shall  quote. — 

**  In  this  almost  universal  prevalence  of  a  spirit  so 
extremely  hostile  to  me  and  my  friends,  and  which 
would  be  gratified  by  my  destruction,  it  cannot  be 
any  matter  of  surprise,  that  a  son  of  mine  should 
wish  to  abandon  a  country  in  which  his  father  has 
been  used  as  I  have  been,  especially  \vhen  it  is  con- 
sidered that  this  son  was  present  at  the  riot  in  Bir- 
mingham,  exerting  himself  all  the  dreadful  night  of 
the  14th  of  July,  to  save  what  he  could  of  my  most 
valuable  property ;  that  in  consequence  of  this  his 
life  was  in  imminent  danger,  and  another  3''0ung 
man  was  nearly  killed  because  he  was  mistaken  for 
him.  This  would  probably  have  been  his  fate,  if 
a  friend  had  not  almost  perforce  kept  him  concealed 
some  days,  so  that  neither  myself  nor  his  mother 
knew  what  was  become  of  him.     Iliad  not,  how- 

1 3  ever. 


134  Continuation-  of 

ever,  the  ambition  to  court  the  honour  that  has 
been  shewn  him  by  the  national  assembly  of  France, 
and  even  declined  the  proposal  of  his  naturaliza- 
tion. At  the  most,  I  supposed  it  would  have  been 
done  without  any  eclat;  and  I  knew  nothing  of  its 
being  done  in  so  very  honourable  a  way  until  I  saw 
the  account  in  the  public  newspapers.  To  what- 
ever country  this  son  of  mine  shall  choose  to  attach 
himself,  I  trust  that,  from  the  good  principles,  and 
the  spirit,  that  he  has  hitherto  shewn,  he  will  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  a  good  citizen." 

*'  As  to  myself,  I  cannot  be  supposed  to  feel  much, 
attachment  to  a  country  in  which  I  have  neither 
found  protection,  nor  redress.     But  I  am  too  old,- 
and  my  habits  too  fixed,  to  remove,  as  I  own  I  should 
otherwise  have  been  disposed  to  do,  to  France,  or 
America.  The  little  that  I  am  capable  of  doing  must 
be  in  England,  where  I  shall  therefore  continue,  as 
long  as  it  shall  please  the  supreme  Disposer  of  ull 
tilings  to  permit  me*. 

*  "  Since  this  was  written,  I  have  myself,  without  any  solicitation, 
on  my  pavt,  been  made  a  citizen  of  France,  and  moreover  elected  a 
uicinbcr  of  the  present  Conventional  Assembly.  Tlicse,  I  scrnplenot 
to  avow,  I  consider  as  the  greatest  of  honours  ;  th:)i'.;jh,  for  the  rea- 
sons whicli  are  now  made  public,  I  have  declined  accepting  the 
latter." 


THE  Memoirs.  135" 

It  might  have  been  thought  that,  having  written 
so  much  in  defence  of  revelation,  and  of  Chris- 
tianity in  general,  more  perhaps  than  all  the  clergy 
of  the  church  of  England  now  livmg ;  this  defence 
of  a  common  came  would  have  been  received  as  some 
atonement  lor  my  demerits  in  writing  against  civil 
establishments  of  Christianity,  and  particular  doc- 
trines. But  had  I  been  an  open  enemy  of  all  religi- 
on, the  animosity  against  me  couid  not  have  been 
gi'eater  tlian  it  is.  Neither  Mr.  Hume  nor  Mr.  Gib- 
bon was  a  thousandth  part  so  obnoxious  to  the  cler- 
gy as  I  am  ;  so  little  respect  have  my  enemies  for 
Christianity  itself,  compared  with  what  they  have  for 
their  emoluments  from  it." 

•'  As  to  my  supposed  hostihty  to  the  principles  of 
the  civil  constitution  of  this  country,  there  has  been 
no  pretence  whatever  for  chargnig  me  with  any 
thing  of  the  kind.  Besides  that  the  very  catalogue  ■ 
of  my  publications  will  prove  that  my  life  has  been 
devoted  to  literature,  and  chiefly  to  natural  philo- 
sophy and  theology,  which  have  not  left  mc  any 
leisure  for  factious  politics ;  in  the  few  things  that  I 
have  written  of  a  political  nature,  I  have  been  an 
avowed  advocate   for  our  mixed  government   by 

1 4  Kingf 


136  Continuation  of 

King^  Lords y  and  Conmions  ;  but  because  I  have  ob- 
jected io  the  ecclesiastical  part  of  it,  and  to  par- 
ticul  .  rclit^ious  tc:*t-ts,  I  have  been  industriously 
represented  as  openly  seditious,  and  endeavouring 
the  overdirow  of  every  thing  that  isjixedy  the  enemy 
of  ail  order,  and  of  all  government." 

"  Every  publication  which  bears  my  name  is  in 
favour  of  our  present  form  of  government.  But  if 
I  had  not  thought  so  highly  of  it,  and  had  seen  rea- 
son for  preferring  a  more  republican  form,  and 
had  openly  advanced  that  opinion  ;  I  do  norknow 
that  the  proposing  to  free  discussion  a  system  of  go- 
vernment different  from  that  of  England,  even  to 
Englishmen,  is  any  crime,  according  to  the  existing 
laws  of  this  country.  It  has  always  been  thought, 
at  least,  that  our  constitution  authorises  the  free  pro- 
posal, and  discussion,  of  all  theoretical  principles 
whatever,  political  ones  not  excepted.  And  though 
I  might  now  recommend  a  very  different  form  of  go- 
vernment to  a  people  who  had  no  previous  preju- 
dices or  habits,  the  case  is  very  different  with  re- 
spect  to  one  that  has  ;  and  it  is  the  duty  oi  every 
good  citizen  to  maintain  that  government  of  any 
country  which  the  majority  of  lis  inhabitants  ap- 
prove. 


THE  Memoirs.  137 

prove,  whether  he  himself  should  otherwise  prefer  it, 
or  not." 

«*  This,  however,  is  all  that  can  in  reason  be  re- 
quired of  any  man.  To  demand  more  would  be  as 
absurd  as  to  oblige  every  man,  by  the  law  of  mar- 
riage, to  maintain  that  his  particular  wife  was  ab- 
solutely the  handsomest,  and  best  tempered  woman 
in  the  world ;  whereas  it  is  surely  sufficient  if  a  man 
behave  well  to  his  wife,  and  discharge  the  duties  of 
a  good  husband.'* 

*'  A  very  great  majority  of  Englishmen,  I  am  well 
persuaded,  are  friends  to  what  are  called  high  max- 
ims of  goi^ernment.  They  would  choose  to  have 
the  power  of  the  crown  rather  enlarged  than  re- 
duced, and  would  rather  see  all  the  Dissenters  ba- 
nished than  any  reformation  made  in  the  church. 
A  dread  of  every  thing  tending  to  republicanism  is 
manifestly  increased  of  late  years,  and  is  likely  to 
increase  still  more.  The  very  term  is  become  one 
of  the  most  opprobrious  in  the  English  language. 
The  clergy  (whose  near  alliance  with  the  court,  and 
the  present  royal  family,  after  having  been  almost  a 
century  hostile  to  them,  is  a  remarkable  event  in 
the  present  reign)  have  contributed  not  a  little  to 

that 


138  Continuation  of 

that  leaning  to  arbitrary  power  in  the  crown  \A'hich 
lias  lately  been  growing  upon  us.  They  preach  up 
the  doctrme  of  passive  obedience  and  non-resistance 
with  as  little  disguise  as  their  ancestors  did  in  the 
reign  of  the  Stuarts,  and  tlieir  adulation  of  the  king 
and  of  the  minister  is  abject  in  the  extreme.  Both 
Mr.  Madan's  sermon  and  Mr.  Burn's  reply  to  my 
Appeal  discover  the  same  spirit ;  and  any  sentiment 
in  favour  of  liberty  that  is  at  all  bold  and  manly, 
such  as,  till  of  late,  v/as  deemed  becoming  Eng- 
lishmen and  the  disciples  of  Mr.  Locke,  is  now  re- 
probated as  seditious." 

"  In  diese  circumstances,  it  would  be  nothing  less 
than  madness  seriously  to  attempt  a  change  in  the 
constitution,  and  I  hope  I  am  not  absolutely  insane. 
I  sincerely  wish  my  countrymen,  as  part  of  the  hu- 
man race  (tliough,  I  own,  I  now  feel  no  particular 
attachment  to  them  on  any  other  ground)  the  un- 
disturbed enjoyment  of  that  form  of  government 
which  they  so  evidently  approve ;  and  as  I  have  no 
favour  to  ask  of  them,  or  of  their  governors,  besides 
mere  protection,  as  to  a  stranger,  while  I  violate  no 
known  lav.-,  and  have  not  this  to  ask  for  any  long 
term,  I  hope  it  will  be  granted  me.     If  not,  1  must, 

^      like 


rHE  Memoirs.  139 

like  many  others,  in  all  ages  and  all  nations,  submit 
to  whatever  the  supreme  Being,  whose  eye  is  upon 
us  all,  and  who  I  believe  intends,  and  will  in  his 
own  time  bring  about,  the  good  of  all,  shall  ap- 
point, and  by  their  means  execute."  \_Appeal part 
II  page  109 »  ^c. 2 

The  rising  disinclination  which  the  preceding  pas- 
sage shews  had  taken  place  in  my  father's  mind 
towards  a  longer  residence  in  England,  became  con- 
firmed by  various  circumstances,  particularly  the 
determination  of  his  sons  to  emigrate  to  America. 
These,  together  with  other  reasons,  that  finally  in- 
fluenced his  conduct  on  the  subject  of  removing  to 
this  country,  are  stated  at  large  as  I  have  before  ob- 
served in  the  preface  to  his  Fast  sermon  for  the  year 
1794  and  I  cannot  so  properly  give  them  as  in  his 
own  words. 

*'  THIS  discourse,  and  those  on  the  Evidences  of 
Divine  Revelation^  which  will  be  published  about 
the  same  time,  being  the  last  of  my  labours  in  this 
country,  I  hope  my  friends,  and  the  public,  will  in- 
dulge me  while  I  give  the  reasons  of  their  being  the 
last,  in  consequence  of  my  having  at  length,  after 

much 


140  CoNTimTATION    OP 

much  hesitation,  and  now  with  reluctance,  come  to 
a  resolution  to  leave  this  kingdom. 

After  tKe  riots  in  Birmingham,  it  was  the  expec- 
tation, and  evidently  the  wish,  of  many  persons,  that 
I  should  immediately  fiy  to  France,  or  America; 
But  I  had  no  consciousness  of  guilt  to  induce  mc 
to  fly  my  countrj  *.  On  the  contrar}-,  I  came  di- 
rectly  to  London,  and  instantly,  by  means  of  my 
friend  Mr.  Russell,  signified  to  the  king's  ministers^ 
that  I  was  there,  and  read}',  if  they  thought  proper, 

/  to 


•  If,  Instead  of  flying^  from  lawless  violence,  I  had  been  flying 
from  public  justice,  I  could  not  have  been  pursued  with  more  ran- 
cour, nor  could  my  friends  have  been  more  anxious  for  my  safety. 
One  man,  wiio  happened  to  see  me  on  horseback  on  one  of  the  nighta 
in  which  I  escaped  from  Birming^ham,  expressed  hi»  regret  that  he 
had  not  taken  me,  expecting  probably  some  considerable  reward,  as 
be  s?jd,  it  was  so  easy  for  him  to  have  done  it.  My  friends  earnestly 
advised  me  to  disguise  myself  sis  I  was  going  to  London.  But  all 
tliat  was  done  in  that  way  was  taking  a  place  for  me  in  the  m.iil 
eo;ich,  which  I  entered  at  Worcester,  in  another  name  than  my  own. 
However,  the  friend  who  had  the  courage  to  receive  me  in  London 
had  tlioiight  it  necessary  to  provide  a  dress  that  should  disguise  me, 
ar.d  aho  a  method  of  making  my  escape,  in  case  tlie  Iiouse  sliould 
iave  been  attacked  on  my  account ;  and  for  some  time  my  friends, 
vould  not  sufTfr  me  to  appear  in  t-lie  streets. 


THE    MeMOIHS.  141 

to  be  interrogated  on  the  subject  of  the  riot.  But 
no  notice  was  taken  of  the  message. 

Ill  treated  as  I  thought  I  had  been,  not  merely  by 
the  populace  of  Birmingham,  for  they  were  the  mere 
tools  of  their  superiors,  but  by  the  country  in  gene- 
ral, which  evidently  exulted  in  our  sufferings,  and 
afterwards  by  the  representatives  of  the  nation,  who 
refused  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  them,  I  own  I 
was  not  without  deliberating  upon  the  subject  of 
emigration ;  and  several  flattering  proposals  were 
made  me,  especially  from  France,  which  was  then 
at  peace  within  itself,  and  with  all  the  world  ;  and  I 
was  at  one  time  much  inclined  to  go  thither,  on  ac? 
count  of  its  nearness  to  England,  the  agreeableness 
of  its  climatj*,  and  my  having  many  friends  there. 

But  I  likewise  considered  that,  if  I  went  thither 
I  should  have  no  employment  of  the  kind  to 
which  I  had  been  accustomed ;  and  tlie  season 
of  active  life  not  being,  according  to  the  course 
•of  nature,  quite  over,  I  vv'ished  to  make  as  much 
use  of  it  as  I  could.  I  therefore  determined  to 
continue  in  England,  exposed  as  I  was  not  only  to 
unbounded  obloquy  and  insult,  but  to  cveiy  kind 
of  outrage  ;    and  after  my  invitation  to  succeed  my 

friend 


142  CoNTINUATIO>f    OF 

Iriend  Dr*  Price,  I  had  no  hesitation  about  it.  Ac- 
cordingly I  took  up  my  residence  where  I  now 
am,  though  so  prevalent  was  the  idea  of  my  inse- 
curity, that  I  was  not  able  to  take  the  house  in 
my  own  name ;  and  when  a  friend  of  mine  took  it 
in  his,  it  was  with  much  difficulty  that,  after  some 
time,  the  landlord  was  prevailed  upon  to  transfer 
the  lease  to  me-  He  expressed  his  apprehensions, 
not  only  of  the  house  that  I  occupied,  being  de- 
molished, but  also  a  capital  house  in  which  he 
himself  resides,  at  the  distance  of  no  less  than 
twenty  miles  from  London,  whither  he  supposed 
the  rioters  would  go  next,  merely  for  suffering  me 
to  live  in  a  house  o^  his. 

But  even  this  does  not  give  such  an  idea  of  the 
danger  that  not  only  myself,  but  every  person,  and 
every  thing,  that  had  the  slightest  connection  with 
me,  were  supposed  to  be  in,  as  the  following.  The 
managers  of  one  of  the  principal  charities  among  the 
Dissenters  applied  to  me  to  preach  their  annual  ser- 
mon, and  I  had  consented.  But  the  treasurer  a 
man  of  fortune,  who  knew  nothing  more  of  me  tlian 
my  name,  was  so  much  alarmed  at  it,  riiat  he  de- 
clared he  could  not  sleep.      I  therefore,  to  his  gi'cat 

relief,  declined  preaching  at  all. 

When 


THE  Memoirs.  14S 

When  it  was  known  that  I  was  settled  where 
I  now  am,  several  of  my  friends,  who  lived  near 
me,  were  seriously  advised  to  remove  their  papers, 
and  other  most  valuable  effects,  to  some  place  of 
greater  safety  in  London.  On  the  14th  of  July, 
1792,  it  was  taken  for  granted  by  many  of  the 
neighbours,  that  my  house  was  to  come  down, 
just  as  at  Birmingham  the  year  before.  When  the 
Hackney  association  was  formed,  several  servants 
in  the  neighbourhood  actwally  removed  their  goods ; 
and  when  there  was  some  political  meeting  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Breillat,  though  about  two  miles  from 
my  house,  a  woman  whose  daughter  was  servant 
in  the  house  contiguous  to  mine,  came  to  her  mis- 
tress, to  entreat  that  she  might  be  out  of  the  way  ; 
and  it  ^vas  not  without  much  difficulty  that  she 
was  pacified,  and  prevailed  upon  to  let  her  continue 
in  the  house,  her  mistress  saying  that  she  was  as 
safe  as  herself. 

On  several  other  occasions  the  neighbourhood 
has  been  greatly  alarmed  on  account  of  my  being 
so  near  them.  Nor  was  this  without  apparent 
reason.  I  could  name  a  person,  and  to  appear- 
ance a  reputable  tradesman,  who,  in  the  company 

of 


144  CoNTINUATIO»    OF 

of  his  friends,  and  in  the  hearing  of  one  of  my  late 
congregation  at  Birmingham,  but  without  know- 
ing him  to  be  such,  declared  that,  in  case  of  any 
disturbance,  they  would  immediately  come  to 
Hackney,  evidently,  for  the  purpose  of  mischief. 
In  this  state  of  things,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
that  of  many  servants  A\'ho  were  recommended  to 
me,  and  some  that  \verc  actually  hired,  very  few 
could,  for  a  long  time,  be  prevailed  upon  to  live 
with  me. 

These  facts  not  only  shew  how  general  was  the 
idea  of  my  particular  insecurity  in  this  country ; 
but  what  is  of  much  more  consequence,  and  highly 
interesting  to  the  country  at  large,  an  idea  of  the 
general  disposition  to  rioting  and  violence  that  pre- 
vails in  it,  and  that  the  Dissenters  are  the  objects  of 
it.  Mr.  Pitt  very  justly  observed,  in  his  speech  on 
the  subject  of  the  riots  at  Birmingham,  that  it  was 
"  the  effervescence  of  the  public  mind."  Indeed 
the  effer .  jscible  matter  has  existed  in  this  country 
ever  since  the  civil  wars  in  the  time  of  Charles  I. 
and  it  was  particularly  apparent  in  the  rciga  of  Queen 
Anne.  But  the  povier  of  government  under  the 
former  princes  of  the  House  of  HanoA'cr  prevented 

its 


THE  Memoirs.  145 

its  doing  any  mischief.  The  late  events  shew  that 
this  power  is  no  longer  exerted  as  it  used  to  be,  but 
that,  on  the  contrary  there  prevails  an  idea,  well  or 
ill  founded,  that  tumultuary  proceedings  against 
Dissenters  will  not  receive  any  effectual  discourage- 
ment. After  what  has  taken  place  with  respect  to 
Birmingham,  all  idea  of  much  hazard  for  insulting 
and  abusing  the  Dissenters  is  entirely  vanished ; 
whereas  the  disposition  to  injure  the  Catholics  was 
effectually  checked  by  the  proceedings  of  the  year 
1780.  From  that  time  Mi'y  have  been  safe,  and  I 
rejoice  in  it.  But  from  the  3  ear  1791,  the  Dissen- 
ters have  been  more  exposed  to  insult  and  outrage 
than  ever. 

Having  fixed  myself  at  Clapton  ;  unhinged  as 
I  had  been,  and  having  lost  the  labour  of  several 
}-ears  ;  yet  flattering  myself  that  I  should  end  my 
days  here,  I  took  a  long  lease  of  my  house,  and  ex- 
pended a  considerable  sum  in  improving  it.  I  also 
determined,  with  the  assistance  of  my  friends,  to 
resume  my  philosophical  and  other  pursuits;  and 
after  an  interruption  amounting  to  about  two  3-ears, 
it  was  with  a  pleasure  that  i  cannot  describe,  that  I 
entered  my  new  laboratory,  and  began  the  most  com- 

K  man 


146  Continuation   of 

mon  preparatory  processes,  with  a  view  to  some 
original  inquiries.  With  v\hat  success  I  have  la- 
boured, \hc  public  has  already  in  some  measure 
seen,  and  may  see  more  hereafter. 

But  though  I  did  not  choose  (notwithstanding  I 
found  myself  exposed  to  continual  insult)  to  leave 
my  native  country,  I  found  it  necessary  to  provide 
for  m}'  sons  elsew  here.  My  eldest  son  was  settled 
in  a  business,  which  promised  to  be  very  advantage- 
ous, at  Manchester;  but  his  partner  though  a  man 
of  liberality  himself,  informed  him,  on  perceiving  the 
general  prevalence  of  the  spirit  which  produced  the 
riots  in  Birmingham,  that,  owing  to  his  relationship 
to  7726',  he  was  under  the  neeessity  of  proposing  a  se- 
paration, which  accordingly  took  place. 

On  this  he  had  an  invitation  to  join  another  con- 
nexion, in  a  business  in  which  the  spirit  of  party 
could  not  have  much  affected  him  ;  but  he  declined 
it.  And  after  he  had  been  present  at  the  assizes  at 
Warwick,  he  conceived  such  an  idea  of  this  country, 
that  I  do  not  believe  any  proposal,  however  ad- 
vantageous, would  have  induced  him  to  continue  in 
it ;  so  much  was  he  affected  on  perceiving  his  flithcr 
treated  as  I  had  been. 

Determine 


THE  Memoirs.  147 

'  Determining  to  go  to  America,  where  he  had  no 
prospect  but  that  of  being  a  farmer,  he  nishecl  to 
spend  a  short  time  with  a  person  who  had  greatly  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  that  way,  and  one  who  from 
his  own  general  principles,  and  his  friendship  for 
myself,  would  have  given  him  the  best  advice  and 
assistance  in  his  power.  He,  however,  declined  it, 
and  acknowledged  some  time  after,  that  had  it  been 
known,  as  it  mast  have  been,  to  his  landlord,  that 
he  had  a  son  of  mbie  with  him,  he  feared  he  should 
have  been  tunicd  out  of  his  farm. 

My  second  son  who  was  present  both  at  the  riot, 
and  the  assizes,  felt  more  indignation  still,  and  wil- 
lingly listened  to  a  proposal  to  settle  i-n  France  ;  and 
there  his  reception  was  but  too  flattering.  However, 
on  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  with  this  country, 
all  mercantile  prospects  being  suspended,  he  wished 
to  go  to  America.  There  his  eldest  and  youngest 
brother  have  joined  him,  and  they  are  now  looking 
out  for  a  settlement,  having  as  yet  no  fixed  views. 

The  necessity  I  was  under  of  sending  my  sons 
out  of  this  country,  was  my  principal  inducement 
to  send  the  little  property  that  I  had  out  of  it  too  ;  so 
that  I  had  nothing  in  England  besides  my  library, 

K  2  appai'atus 


148  Continuation  of 

apparatus;  and  household  goods.  By  this,  I  felt  my- 
self greatly  relieved,  it  being  of  little  consequence 
where  a  man  already  turned  sixty  ends  his  days. 
Whatever  good  or  evil  I  have  been  capable  of,  is  now 
chiefly  done  ;  and  I  trust  that  the  same  conscious- 
ness  of  integrity,  which  has  supported  me  hitherto, 
will  carry  me  throu  gh  any  thing  that  may  yet  be  re- 
served for  me*  Seeing,  however,  no  great  prospect 
of  doing  much  good,  or  having  much  enjoyment, 
here,  I  am  now  preparing  to  follow  my  sons ;  hoping 
to  be  of  some  use  to  them  in  their  present  unsettled 
state,  and  that  Providence  may  yet,  advancing  in 
years  as  I  am,  find  me  some  sphere  of  usefulness  a- 
long  with  them. 

As  to  the  great  odium  that  I  have  incurred,  the 
charge  of  sedition^  or  my  being  an  enemy  to  the  con- 
stitution or  peace  of  my  country,  is  a  mere  pretence 
for  it ;  thougk  it  has  been  so  much  urged,  that  it  is 
now  generally  believed,  and  all  attempts  to  undc- 
ceive  the  public  with  respect  to  it  avail  nothing  at 
all.  Tiie  whok  course  of  my  studies,  from  early 
life,  shews  how  little  politics  of  any  kind  haA'C  been 
my  object.  Indeed  to  have  written  so  much  as  I 
have  in  tlicohgy\  and  to  have  done  so  much  in  expe- 
rimental 


THE  Memoirs.  149 

nmental philosophy^  and  at  the  same  time  to  have  had 
my  mind  occupied,  as  it  is  supposed  to  have  been, 
with  factious  politics,  I  must  have  had  faculties  more 
than  human.  Let  any  person  only  cast  his  eye  over 
the  long  list  of  my  publications,  and  he  will  see  that 
they  relate  almost  wholly  to  theology,  philosophy,  or 
reneral  literature. 

I  did,  however,  when  I  was  a  younger  man,  and 
before  it  was  in  my  power  to  give  much  attention  to 
philosophical  pursuits,  write  a  small  anonymous 
political  pamphlet,  on  the  State  of  Liberty  in  this 
Country^  about  the  time  of  Mr.  Wilkes's  election 
for  Middlesex,  which  gained  me  the  acquaintance, 
and  I  may  say  the  fiiendship,  of  Sir  George  Savile, 
and  which  I  had  the  happiness  to  enjoy  as  Io;ig  as 
he  lived. 

At  the  request  also  of  Dr.  Franklin  and  Dr. 
Fothergill,  I  wrote  an  address  to  the  Dissenters  on 
the  subject  of  the  approaching  rupture  with  Ame- 
rica, a  pamphlet  which  Sir  George  Savile,  and  my 
other  friends,  circulated  in  great  numbers,  and  it 
was  thought  with  some  eifeet. 

After  this  I  entirely  ceased  to  write  any  thing  on 
the  subject  of  politics,  except  as  far  as  the  business 

K3  of 


150  Continuation  or 

of  the  Test  Aa,  m.d  of  Chil  Establishments  of  Reli- 
gion^ had  a  connection  with  jwlitics.  And  though, 
at  the  recommendation  of  Dr.  Price,  I  was  presently 
after  this  taken  into  the  family  of  the  Marquis  of 
Landsdowne,  and  I  entered  into  almost  all  his  views, 
as  thinking  them  just  and  liberal,  1  never  wrote  a 
single  political  pamphlet,  or  even  a  paragraph  in  a 
nev  spaper,  ail  the  time  that  I  v\  as  \^  ith  him,  which 
was  seven  years. 

I  never  preached  a  political  sermon  in  my  life ; 
unless  such  as,    I   believe    all   Dissenters  usually 
preach  on  the  Rfth  of  November,  in  favour  of  croil 
and  rel'i^  ious  liberty,  may  be  said  to  be  political.  And 
on  these  occasions,  I  am  confident,  that  I  never  ad- 
vanced any  sentiment  but  such  as,  until  of  late  years, 
would  have  tended  to  recommend,  rather  than  ren- 
der me  obnoxious,  to  those  \\  ho  direct  the  admini- 
stration of  this  country.     And  the  doctrines  which 
I  adopted  when  young,  and  \^•hich  were  even  popu- 
lar then  (except  with  the  clergy,  who  were  at  that 
time  generally    disaffected    to  the  family   on    the 
throne)  I  cannot  abandon,  merely  because  the  times 
are  so  changed,  that  tlicy  are  now  become  unpopular, 
and  ihe  expression  ai.d  communication  of  them  ha- 
zardous. 

Farther, 


THE  Memoirs.  151 

Farther,  though  I  by  no  means  disapprove  of  so- 
cieties  for  political  information,  such  as  are  now 
every  where  discountenanced,  and  generally  sup^ 
pressi^d,  I  never  was  a  member  of  any  of  them  ;  no-, 
indeed,  did  I  ever  attend  any  public  meeting,  if  I 
could  decently  avoid  it,  owing  to  habits  acquired  in 
studious  and  letired  life. 

From  a  mistake  of  my  talents  and  disposition,  I 
was  invited  by  many  of  the  departments  in  France, 
to  represent  them  in  the  present  National  Conven- 
tion, after  I  had  been  made  a  citizen  of  France,  on 
account  of  my  being  considered  as  one  who  had  been 
persecuted  for  my  attachment  to  the  cause  of  liberty 
here.  But  though  the  invitation  was  repeated  with 
the  most  flattering  importunity,  I  never  hesitated 
about  declining  it. 

I  can  fartlier  say  with  respect  to  politics,  concern- 
ing which  I  believe  every  Englishman  has  some  opi- 
nion or  other  (and  at  present,  owing  to  the  peculiar 
nature  of  the  present  war,-  it  is  almost  the  only  topic 
of  general  conversation)  that,  except  in  company,  I 
hardly  ever  think  of  the  subject,  my  reading,  medita- 
tion, and  writing;  being  almost  wholly  engrossed  by 
theology,  and  philosophy  ;  and  of  late,  as  for  m^  ny 

K  4  years'- 


152  Continuation  of 

years  bfcfore  the  riots  in  Birmingham,  I  have  spent 
a  very  great  proportion  of  my  time,  as  my  friends 
well  know,  in  m}-  laboratory. 

If,  then,   my  real  crime  has  not  been  sedition,  or 
treason,  what  has  it  been  ?    For  every  effect  must 
have  some  adequate  cause,  and  therefore  the  odium 
that  I  have  incurred  must  have  been  owing  to  some- 
thing in  my  declared  sentiments,  or  conduct,  that 
has  exposed  me  to  it.     In  my  opinion,  it  cannot 
have  been  any  thing  but  my  open  hostility  to  the 
doctrines  of  the  established  church,  and  more  espe- 
cially to  all  civil  establishments  of  religion  whatever. 
This  has  brought  upon  me  the  implacable  resent- 
ment of  the  great  body  of  the  clergy  ;  and  they  hare 
found  other  methods  of  opposing  me  besides  argu- 
ment,  and  that  use  Qliki^  press  which  is  equally  open 
to  us  all.     They  have  also  found  an  able  ally  and 
champion  in  Mr.  Burke,  who  (without  any  provo- 
cation except  tliat  of  answering  his  book  on  the 
French  Revokition)  has  taken  several  opportunities 
of  inveighing  against  me,  in  a  place  v.here  he  knows 
I  cannot  reply  to  him,  and  from  v.hich  he  also  knows 
that  his  accusation  w  ill   reach  every  corner  of  the 
couritry,  and  consequently  thousands  oT prisons  who 

will 


THE  Memoirs.  153 

will  never  read  any  writings  of  mine*.  They  have 
had  another,  and  still  more  effectual  vehicle  of  their 
abuse  in  what  are  called  the  treasury  ne^s^spapers, 
and  other  popular  publications. 

By  these  and  others  means,  the  same  paity  spirit 
which  was  the  cause  of  the  riots  in  Birmingham, 
has  been  increasing  ever  since,  especially   in  that 
neighbourhood.      A  remarkable   instance  of    this 
may  be  seen  in  a  Letter  addressed,  but  not  sent,  to 
me  from   Mr,   Foley,  rector  of  Stourbridge,  who  slc- 
knowledges  the  satisfaction  that  he  and  his  brethren 
have  received  from  one  of  the  grossest  and  coarsest 
pieces  of  abuse  of  me  that  has  yet  appeared,  which, 
as  a  curious  specimen  of  the  kind,  I  inserted  in  the 
Appendix  of  wy  Appeal,  and  in  which  I  am  repre- 
sented as  no  better  than  Guy  Fawkes,  or  the  devil 
himself.     This  very  Christian  divine  recommends 

to 

Ml-.  Burke  having  said  in  the  House  of  Commons,  that  **  I  was 
"  made  a  citizen  of  Fi-ance  on  account  of  my  declared  hostility  to  the 
•'  constitution  of  this  country,"  I,  in  the  public  papers,  denied  the 
charge,  and  called  upon  him  for  the  proofs  of  it.  As  he  made  no 
reply,  I  said,  in  the  preface  to  my  Fast  Sermon  of  the  last  }'ear,  p.  9, 
that  "  it  sufficiently  appeared  that  he  had  neither  ability  to  maintain 
'*  his  charge,  nor  virtue  to  retract  it."  A  year  more  of  silence  on  his 
part  having  now  elapsed,  this  is  become  more  evident  than  before. 


154  Continuation'  or 

to  the  members  of  the  established  church  to  decline 
all  commercial  dealings  with  the  Dissenters,  ab  an 
effectual  method  of  exterminating  them.  This  me- 
thod has  been  actually  adopted  in  many  parts  of 
England.  Also  great  numbers  of  the  best  farmers 
and  artizans  in  England  have  been  dismissed  be- 
cause they  would  not  go  to  the  established  church. 
Dcfoe^s  Shortest  Way  ^ith  the  Dissenters*  would 
have  taught  the  fiiends  of  the  church  a  more  effec* 
tual  method  still.  And  yet  this  Mr.  Foley,  whom 
I  never  saw,  and  who  could  not  have  had  any  parti- 
cular cause  of  enmity  to  me,  had,  like  Mr.  Madan 
of  Birmingham,  a  character  for  liberality.  What, 
then,  have  we  to  expect  from  others,  when  we  find 
so  much  bigotry  and  rancour  in  such  men  as  these  ? 
Many  times,  by  the  encouragement  of  persons 
from  whom  better  things  might  have  been  expected, 
I  have  been  burned  in  t^^y  ^^^"g  '^^  i^^^  Mr.  Paine ; 
and  numberless  insulting  and  threatening  letters 
have  been  sent  to  mc  from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom. f 

It 

•  A  tract  Y.rlttcii  in  a  grave  ironical  stile,  advising  to  hang  them 
all. 

f  In  one  of  these  I  was  Uirealcncd  uith  being  biu-ncd  ailivc  before 
a  slow  firf. 


THE   Memoirs^  155 

It  is  not  possible  for  any  man  to  have  conducted 
himself  more  peaceably  than  I  have  done  all  the  time 
that  I  have  lived  at  Clapton,  yet  it  has  not  exempted 
me  not  only  from  the  worst  suspicions,  but  very 
gross  insults.  A  very  friendly  and  innocent  club, 
which  I  found  in  the  place,  has  been  considered  as 
Jacobin  chiefly  on  my  account ;  and  at  one  time 
there  was  cause  of  apprehension  that  I  should  have 
been  brought  into  danger  for  lending  one  of  Mr. 
Painc's  books.  But  with  some  difficulty  the  neigh- 
bourhood was  satisfied  tliat  I  was  innocent. 

As  nothing  had  been  paid  to  me  on  account  of 
damages  in  the  riot,  when  I  published  the  second 
part  of  my  Appeal  to  the  public  on  the  subject,  it 
may  be  proper  to  say,  that  it  was  paid  some  time 
in  the  beginning  of  the  year  1793,  with  interest  only 
from  the  first  of  January  of  the  same  year,  though  the 
injury  was  received  in  July,  1791  ;  when  equity 
evidently  required,  that  it  ought  to  have  been  allow- 
ed from  the  time  of  the  riot,  especially  as,  in  all  the 
cases,  the  allowance  was  far  short  of  the  loss.  In 
my  case  it  fell  short,  as  I  have  shewn,  not  less  than 
two  thousand  pounds.  And  the  losses  sustained  by 
the  otlier  sufferers  far  exceeded  mine.  Public  jus- 
tice 


156  Continuation   of 

ticealso  required  that,  if  the  forms  of  law,  local  en- 
mity or  any  other  cause,  had  prevented  our  receiving 
full  indemnification,  it  should  have  been  made  up  to 
us  from  the  public  treasury  ;  the  great  end  of  all  civil 
government  being  protection  from  violence,  or  an  in- 
demnification for  it.  Whatever  we  might  in  equity 
claim,  the  country  owes  us,  and,  if  it  be  just,  will 
some  time  or  otiier  pay,  and  with  interest. 

I  would  farther  observe,  that  since,  in  a  variety  of 
cases,  money  is  allowed  where  the  injury  is  not  of  a 
pecuniary  nature,  merely  because  no  other  compen- 
sation can  be  given ,  the  same  should  have  been  done 
with  respect  to  me,  on  account  of  the  destruction  of 
my  manuscripts,  the  interruption  of  my  pursuits, 
the  loss  of  a  pleasing  and  advantageous  situation, 
&c.  &c.  and  had  the  injury  been  sustained  by  a 
clefgymarif  he  would,  I  doubt  not,  have  claimed,  and 
been  allowed,  very  large  damages  on  this  account. 
So  far,  however,  was  tlierc  from  being  any  idea  of 
the  kind  in  my  favour,  that  my  counsel  advised  me 
to  make  no  mention  of  my  manuscript  Lectures  oft 
the  Constitution  of  England,  a  work  about  as  large  as 
that  of  Blackstone  (as  may  be  seen  by  the  syllabus 
of  the  particular  lectures,  sixty-three  in  all,  publish- 
ed 


THE  Memoirs.  157 

cd  in  the  first  edition  of  my  Essay  on  a  Course  of  li- 
beral Education  for  chil  a?id  acthe  Life  J  because  it 
would  be  taken  for  granted  that  they  were  of  a  sedi- 
tious nature,  and  would  therefore  have  been'of  disscr- 
vice  to  me  with  the  jury.  Accordingly  they  were, 
in  the  account  of  my  losses,  included  in  the  article 
of  so  much  paper »  After  these  losses,  had  I  had 
nothing  but  the  justice  of  my  country  to  look  to,  I 
must  have  sunk  under  the  burden,  incapable  of  any 
farther  exertions.  It  was  the  seasonable  generosity 
of  my  friends  that  prevented  this,  and  put  it  in  my 
power,  though  with  the  unavoidable  loss  of  near  two 
years,  to  resume  my  former  pursuits. 

A  farther  proof  of  the  excessive  bigotry  of  this 
country  is,  that,  though  the  clergy  of  Birmingham 
resenting  what  I  advanced  in  the  first  part  of  my 
Appeal^  replied  to  it,  and  pledged  themselves  to  go 
through  with  the  enquiry  along  with  me,  till  the 
whole  truth  should  be  investigated,  they  have  made 
no  reply  to  the  Second  Part  of  my  Appeal,  in  which 
I  brought  specific  charges  against  themselves,  and 
other  persons  by  name,  proving  them  to  have  been 
the  promoters  and  abctt&.s  of  the  riot ;  and  yet  they 
have  as  much  resDect  shown  to  them  as  ever,  and  the 

country 


158  Continuation  ok 

country  at  large  pays  no  atteniion  to  it.  Had  tlie 
clergy  been  the  injured  persons,  and  Dissenters  the 
rioters,  unable  to  answer  the  charges  brought  against 
ihcm,  so  great  would  have  been  the  general  indigna- 
tion at  their  conduct,  that  I  am  persuaded  it  would 
not  have  been  possible  for  them  to  continue  in  the 
countrv. 

I  could,  if  I  were  so  disposed,  give  my  readers 
many  more  instances  of  the  bigotry  of  the  clergy  of 
the  church  of  England  with  respect  ro  me,  which 
could  not  fail  to  excite,  in  generous  minds,  equal 
indignation  and  contempt;  but  I  forbear.*  Had 
I,  however,  foreseen  what  I  am  now  witness  to,  I 
certainly  should  not  have  made  any  attempt  to  re- 
place my  library  or  apparatus, and  I  soon  repented 
of  having  done  it.  But  this  being  done,  I  \vas 
^vll^mg  to  make  some  use  of  both  before  another 
interruption  of  my  pursuits.  I  began  to  philoso- 
phize, and  make  experiments,   rather  late  in  life, 

being 


"  At  a  dinner  of  all  the  Prcljcndaries  of  a  cathedral  church,  tlic 
conversation  turning  on  the  riots  in  Birmingham,  and  on  a  clcrt^ymaa 
having  said  that  if  I  were  mounted  on  a  pile  of  my  publications,  he 
would  set  fire  to  them,  and  burn  mc  alive,  they  all  declared  that  tlicy 
would  bo  ready  to  do  the  same. 


THE  Memoirs.  159 

beins-  near  fortv,  for  want  of  the  necessary  means 
of  doing  any  thing  in  this  way;  and  my  pursuits 
have  been  much  interrupted  by  removals  (never 
indeed  chosen  by  myself,  but  rendered  necessray 
by  circumstances)  and  my  time  being  now  short,  I 
hoped  to  have  had  no  occaion  for  more  than  one, 
and  that  a  final,  remove.  But  the  circumstances 
above  mentioned  have  induced  me,  though  \vith 
great  and  sincere  regret,  to  undertake  another, 
and  to  a  greater  distance  than  any  that  I  have  hi- 
therto made. 

I  profess  not  to  be  unmoved  by  the  aspect  of 
things  exhibited  in  this  discourse.  But  notwith- 
standing this,  I  should  wilhngly  have  awaited  my 
fate  in  my  native  country,  whatCA'er  it  had  been,  if 
I  had  not  had  sons  in  America,  and  if  I  did  not  think 
that  a  field  of  public  usefulness,  which  is  evidently 
closing  upon  me  here,  might  open  to  more  advan- 
tage there. 

I  own  also  that  I  am  not  unaffected  by  such  unex- 
ampled punishments  as  those  of  Mr.  Muir  and  my 
friend  Mr.  Palmer,  for  offences,  which,  if,  in  the  eye 
of  reason,  they  be  any  at  all,  are  slight,  and  ve?y  in- 
sufficiently proved ;  si  measure  so  subversive  of  that 

freedom 


160  Continuation  of 

freedom  of  speaking  and  acting,  w  liich  has  hitherto 
been  the  great  pride  of  Britons.  Bur  the  sentence  of 
Mr.  Winterbotham,  for  delivering  from  the  pulpit 
what  I  am  persuaded  he  never  did  deliver,  and 
which,  similar  evidence  might  have  drawn  upon  my- 
self, or  any  other  dissenting  minister,  who  was  an 
object  of  general  dislike,  has  something  in  it  still 
more  alarming*.  But  I  trust  that  conscious  in- 
nocence 

*  I  trust  that  the  friends  of  liberty,  especially  among  the  Dissenters, 
will  not  fail  to  do  every  thing  in  their  power  to  make  Mr-  W^inteibo- 
tham's  confinement,  and  also  the  sufferings  of  Mr.  Palmer  and  his  com- 
panions,  as  easy  to  them  as  possible.  Having  been  assisted  in  a  sea- 
son of  persecution  m}sclf,  I  sho'jld  be  very  ill  deserving  of  the  favours 
I  have  received,  if  I  was  not  particularly  desirous  of  recommending 
such  cases  as  theirs  to  genci-al  consideration.  Here  difference  In  re- 
ligious sentiment  is  least  of  all  to  be  attended  to.  On  the  contrary, 
let  those  who  in  this  respect  differ  the  most  from  Mr.  Winterbotham, 
which  is  my  own  case,  cx.erUlicmsclves  tiie  most  in  liis  favour.  When 
men  of  unquestionable  integrity  and  piety  suffer  in  consequence  of 
acting  (as  such  persons  always  will  do)  from  a  principle  of  conscienre, 
they  must  command  the  respect  even  of  tlieir  enemies,  if  they  also  act 
from  principle,  thoug-h  they  be  therebj'  led  to  proceed  in  an  opposite 
direction. 

The  case  of  men  if  education  and  reflection  (and  who  act  from  the 
best  intentions  witli  respect  to  tho  community)  committing  w  hat  only 
state  policy  reqtiires  to  be  considered  as  ciimcs,  but  which  arc  allowed 


THE  Memoirs.  161 

nocence  would  support  me  as  it  docs  him,  under 
whatever  prejudiced  and  violent  men  might  do 
to  me,  as  well  as  say  of  me.-  But  I  see  no  occasion 
to  expose  myself  to  danger  without  any  prospect  of 
doing  good,  or  to  continue  any  longer  in  a  country 
in  which  I  am  so  unjustly  become  the  olject  of  ge- 
neral dislike,  and  not  retire  to  another,  where  I  lia'v'e 
reason  to  think  I  shall  be  better  received.  And  I 
trust  that  the  same  good  Providence  which  has  at- 
tended me  hitherto,  and  made  me  happy  in  mv 
present  situation,  and  all  my  former  ones,  will  at- 
tend and  bless  me  in  what  may  still  be  before  me. 
In  all  events,  The  iviil  of  Cod  be  done. 

I  cannot  refrain  from    repeating  again,    that  I 

lea^'C 


on  all  liands  to  imply  no  moral  turpitude,  so  as  to  render  them  imf4 
for  heaven  and  happiness  hereafter,  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  that 
of  common  felons.  There  was  nothing"  in  the  conduct  of  Lou  u  XIV. 
and  his  ministers,  that  appcarc  d  so  sliocking,  so  contrary  to  all  id-^as 
of  ji'.sLice,  humanity  and  decency,  and  that  hiis  contributed  more  to 
render  their  memory  execrated,  than  sending-  such  men  as  Mr.  Ma- 
roUes,  and  other  eminent  Protestants,  who  are  now  revered  as  saints 
sivl  martyrs,  to  the  g-aileys,  aiong-  with  tlie  vilest  miscreants.  Com- 
pared Viilh  tir.:-,  the  p:nnsh.ment  of  death  would  be  mercy.  I  trutt 
that,  the  Scotf.  in  r^.-^neral  will  tiiinl:ti>eso  measures  a  disgraci  to  lJi«if 
f-mjntry. 

L 


\62  Continuation  or 

leave  my  native  country  with  real  regret,  never, 
expecting  to  find  any  \\here  else  society  so  suited 
to  my  disposition  and  habits,  such  fiiends  as  I  have 
here  (whose  attachment  has  been  more  than  a  ba- 
lance to  all  the  abuse  I  have  met  with  fi-om  others) 
and  especially  to  replace  one  particular  Christian 
friend,  in  whose  absence  I  shall,  for  some  time  at 
least,  find  all  tiie  world  a  blank.  Still  less  can  I  ex- 
pect to  resume  my  favourite  pursuits,  with  anything 
like  the  advantages  I  enjoy  here.  In  leaving  this 
country  I  also  abandon  a  source  of  maintenance, 
which  I  can  but  ill  bear  to  lose,  I  can,  howe\er 
truly  say,  that  I  leave  it  m  ithout  any  resentment,  or 
ill-will.  On  the  contrary,  I  sincerely  wish  my 
countrymen  all  happiness ;  and  when  the  time 
for  reflection  (which  my  absence  may  accelerate) 
shall  come,  they  will,  I  am  confident,  do  me  more 
justice.  They  will  be  convinced  that  every  sus- 
picion they  have  been  led  to  entertain  to  my  dis- 
advantage has  been  ill  founded,  and  that  I  have  even 
Lome  claim  to  their  gratitude  and  esteem.  In  this 
case,  I  bliall  look  with  satisfaction  to  the  time  when, 
if  my  life  be  prolonged,  I  may  visit  my  friends  in 
thi J  country  ;  and  perhaps  I.  may,   notv\  iihstanding 


THE  Memoirs."  163 

my  removal  for  the  present,  find  a  grave  (as  I  believe 
is  naturally  the  wish  of  every  man)  in  the  land  that 
gave  me  birth." 

On  the  8th  day  of  April  1794,  my  father  set  sail 
from  London,  and  arrived  at  New- York  on  the  4th 
of  June,  where  he  staid  about  a  fortnight.  Many 
persons  went  to  meet  him  upon  his  landing ,  and 
while  he  staid  at  New^-York  he  received  addresses 
from  various  Societies,  and  great  attention  from  ma- 
ny of  the  most  respectable  persons  in  the  place. 
From  thence  he  proceeded  to  Philadelphia,  where 
he  received  an  address  from  the  American  Philoso- 
phical Society.  Independent  of  the  above  marks 
of  respect,  he  was  chosen  by  an  unanimous  vote  of 
the  Trustees  of  die  University  of  Philadelphia,  pro- 
fessor of  Chemistry.  He  was  likewise  invited  to  re- 
turn and  stay  at  New- York,  and  open  an  Unitarian 
place  of  worship,  W'hich  was  to  have  been  provided 
for  him,  and  also  to  give  Lectures  on  Experimental 
Philosophy  to  one  hundred  subscribers  at  ten  dollars 
each.  These  invitations  indeed  he  did  not  re- 
ceive until  he  had  been  settled  some  little  time  at 
Northumberland.  These  are  suiScient  proofs  that 
the  citizens  of  this  country  were  not  insensible  to 

L2  his 


164  Continuation  op 

his  merit  as  a  Philosopher,  and  that  they  esteemed 
him  for  the  part  he  took  in  tlie  politics  of  Europe* 
That  he  was  not  invited  immediately  on  his  arrival 
to  preach  cither  at  New-York  or  Philadelphia,  \\as 
not  from  any  want  of  respect  for  his  character,  but 
because  Unitarianism  was  in  a  manner  unknown, 
and  by  many  ignorantly  supposed  to  have  some  con- 
nection wi'h  iiifidclity.  'Ihe  proper  evidences  of 
Christianity,  the  corrupUons  it  lias  suffered,  the  mon- 
strous adciiticRs  that  have  been  engrafted  on  its  pri- 
mitive sir;}plicity,  arc!  the  real  state  of  the  opi- 
nions of  christians  in  the  first  ages  of  the  church, 
v.ere  subjects  that  had  hardly  ever  been  discussed  in 
t'his  country.  The  controversies  that  had  been  car- 
ried on  in  England  had  not  awakened  attention  here, 
and  therefore  though  my  father  was  known  as  having 
suffered  in  consequence  of  his  opposition  to  the  esta- 
blished religion  of  his  country,  yet  his  particular 
opinions  were  little  understood.  As  liis  religious 
tenets  became  more  kno\^•n,  these  prejudices  Avore 
away,  and  independent  of  the  proposal  to  open  a 
place  of  Unitarian  worship  at  New-York,  mention- 
ed above,  I  shall  have  occasion  to  state  the  great 
reason  he  liad  to  be  satisfied  witl  the  testimonies  of 

respect 


THE    Memoirs.  165 

respect  paid  to  him,  by  the  most  eminent  persons 
in  the  country,  not  merely  in  his  character  as  a  Phi- 
losopher, but  as  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel. 

About  the  middle  of  July  1 794  my  father  left  Phi- 
ladelphia for  Northumberland,  a  town  situated  at 
the  coiiRuence  of  the  North-East  and  West  branch- 
es of  the  Susquehanna,  and  about  130  miles  North- 
West  of  Philadelphia.     I,  and  some  other  English 
gentlemen,  had  projected  a  Ectilemcnt  of  300,000 
acres  of  land,  about  uity  miles  distant  from  North- 
umberland.    The  sub::;cri prion  v.as  filled  chiefly  by 
persons  in   England.       Nv>rthumberland   being  at 
that  time  the  nearest  towii  to  the  proposed  settlement, 
my  father  wished  to  see  the  place,  and  ascertain  what 
conveniencies  it  would  aftbrd  should  he  incllixe  either 
to   fix  there  permanently,  or  only  until  the  settle- 
ment should  be  sufficiently  advanced  for  his  accom- 
modation ;    he  was  induced  likewise  to  retreat,  at 
least  for  the  summer  months,  into  the  country,  fear- 
ing the  effects  of  the  hot  weather  in  such  a  city  as 
Philadelphia.      He  had  not,  as  has    been  errone- 
ously reported,  ihe  least  concern   in  the  projected 
settlement.     He  was  not  consulted  in  the  formation 
of  the  pkin  of  it,  uor  had  he  come  to  any  determina- 

L  3  tion 


166  Continuation   of 

tion  to  join  it  had  it  been  carried  into  effect. 

The  scheme  of  settlement  was   not  confined  to 
any  particular  class  or  character  of  men,  religious, 
or  political.     It  was  set  on   foot  to  be  as  it  were  a 
rall}'ing  point  for  the  English,  w  ho  were  at  that  time 
emigrating  to  America  in  great  numbei-s,  and  who 
it  ^vas  thought,    would  be  more  happy   in  society 
of  the   kind   they   had  been  accustomed  to,   than 
they  would  be,  dispersed,  as  tliey  now  are,  through 
the  ^'vhole  of  tlie  United  States.      It   ^\•as   farther 
thought,  that  by  the  union  of  industry  and  capi- 
ta!,   t'ue  wilderness  would   soon   become   cuiti\at- 
cd  and  equal  to  any  other  part  of  the  country  in  eve- 
ry thing  necessary  to  the  enjoyment  of  life.     To  pro- 
mote this  as  much  as  possible,  the  original  projec- 
tors of  that  scheme  rescr^^ed  only  a  few  shares  for 
themselves,   for  which  they  paid  the  same  as  those 
M  h.o  had  no  trouble  or  expence  either  in  forming  the 
plan,  or  carrying  it  into  execution.     This  they  did, 
with  a  \icw  to  take  away  all  source  of  jealousy,  and 
to  increase  the  facility  of  settlement,  by  increasing 
the  proportion   of  setders  to  the  (juantity  of  land  to 
be  settled.     Fortunately  for  the  original  proposers, 
the  scheme  was  abandoned.     It  might  and  Avould 

have 


THE    MEMOIRSr  16T 

have  answered  in  a  pecuniar^'  point  of  view,  as  the 
land  now  sells  at  double  and  treble  the  price  then 
asked  for  it,  without  the  advantages  which  that  set- 
tlement would  have  given  rise  to  ;  but  the  generali- 
ty of  Englishmen  come  to  this  country  with  such 
erroneous  ideas,  and,  unless  previously  accustomed 
to  a  life  of  labour,  arc  so  ill  qualified  to  commence 
cultivation  in  a  wilderness,  that  the  projectors  would 
most  probably  have  been  subject  to  still  more  un- 
founded abuse  than  they  have  been,  for  their  well 
meant  endeavours  to  promote  the  interests  of  their 
countrymen. 

The  scheme  of  settlement  thus  failing,  for  reasons 
which  it  is  not  necessary  now  to  state,  my  father, 
struck  with  the  beauty  of  the  situation  of  Northum- 
berland, which  is  universally  allowed  to  be  equal  if 
not  superior  to  any  in  the  state  ;  believing  that,  from 
the  nature  of  its  situation,  it  was  likely  to  become  a 
great  thoroughfare,  and  having  reason  to  consider  it 
as  healthy  as  it  was  pleasant,  the  intermittents  to 
which  it  has  latterly  been  subject  being  then  un- 
known, determined  to  setde  there.     Before  he  came 
to  this  resolution  however,  he  had  the  offer  of  the 
Professorship   of  Chcmic)try  in    the  University   of 

L  4  Pennsyl- 


1C3  Continuation   ov 

Pcnnsjlvania,  before  mentioned,  which  would  pro- 
b:\b]y  have  jicldcd  him  30(X)  dollars  per  annum, 
there  btiiig  ^-cncrally  about  200  students  in  i\Ie- 
cUeine  of  \\hoin  about  150  attend  the  Chemical  Lec- 
tures ;  as  likewise  the  offer  of  a  situation  as  Unitari- 
an Picoeher  and  Lecturer  in  Natural  Philosophy  as 
1  have  likewise  mentioned  before.  At  that  time  he 
luid  no  inducement  to  settle  at  Northumberland 
contrary  to  his  inclinntion,  as  his  books  and  apparatus 
V.  ere  still  at  Pliiladelphia,  his  sons  had  not  fixed  up- 
on any  place  of  settlement  for  themselves,  and  nei- 
ther  he,  nor  they,  had  purchased  a  single  foot  of 
land  in  the  town  or  the  neighbourhood  of  it. 

The  following  reasons  among  others  induced  him 
to  prelera  cc>untry  to  a  city  life.  He  thought  that 
if  he  imdertook  tlie  duties  of  a  professor,  he  should 
TiOt  be  so  much  at  liberty  to  follow  his  favourite  pur- 
suits as  he  could  wish,  and  that  the  expence  of  living 
at  Philadelphia  or  New-York  AK)uId  counterbalance 
the  advantages  resulting  from  his  salary  ;  and  indeed, 
ht  that  time  he  had  no  occasion  to  attend  to  any  pe- 
cuniary considerations,  as  lie  believed  his  income, 
^':ileulating  upon  liis  property  in  the  French  funds 
(\\liicli  hov,"Cvcr  from   circu distances  not  necessary 

to 


THE    MeHOIIIS.  160 

to  be  stated  in  this  place,  never  produced  him  any 
thing,)  to  be  more  than  equal  to  his  wants;  but 
what  Iiad  greater  weight  with  him  than  any  thing  else 
was  that  my  mother,  who  had  been  harrassed  in  her 
mind  ever  since  the  riots  at  Birminoham,  thousrht 
that  by  living  in  the  country,  at  a  distance  from  the 
cities,  she  should  be  more  likely  to  obtain  that  quiet 
of  which  she  stood  so  much  in  need. 

Soon  after  his  settlement  at  Northumberland,  ma- 
ny persons,  with  a  view  that  his  qualifications 
as  an  instructor  of  youth  should  not  be  wholly 
lost  to  the  country,  concurred  in  a  plan  for  the  esta- 
blishment of  a  college  at  Northumberland.  To  this 
scheme  several  subscribed  from  this  motive  alone. 
^any  of  the  prmcipal  landholders,  partly  from  the 
above  and  partly  fi'om  motives  of  interest,  contributed 
largely  both  in  money  and  land,  and  there  was  a  fair 
prospect,  from  the  liberal  principles  upon  which  it 
was  founded,  that  it  v.ould  have  been  of  very  great 
advantage  to  the  country.  My  father  was  requested 
to  draw  up  a  plan  of  the  course  of  study  he  \\'ould 
recommend,  as  welf  as  the  rules  for  the  internal  ma- 
nagement of  the  institution,  and  he  was  ?lppointcd 
President.  He  however  declined  receiving  any  emo- 
lument, 


170  Continuation  of 

lumcnt,  and  proposed  giving  such  lectures  as  he  was 
best  qualified  for,  gratis  ;  in  tlie  same  manner  as  he 
had  done  at  Hackney,  and  he  meant  to  have  given  to 
tlie institution  the  uscof  his  library  andapparatus,  until 
the  students  could  have  been  furnished  with  them  by 
means  of  the  funds  of  the  college.     In  consequence 
of  the    unexpected  failure   of  some  of    he  prin- 
cipal contributors,  the  scheme  fell  through  at  that 
time,  and  little  more  was  done  during  my  father's 
lifetime  than  to  raise  theshell  of  a  convenient  buildings 
I  shall  in  this  place  state,  though  I  shall  anticipate, 
in  so  doing,  th.it  in  the  year  1803  a  vacancy  occurred 
in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  by  the  death  of 
Dr.  Euen,  Principal  of  that  institution.     It  was  inti- 
mated to  my  father  by  many  of  the  Trustees,  that  in 
case  he  Ayould  accept  of  the  appointment,  there  ^\as 
little  doubt  of  his  obtaining  it;    Mr.  M'Kean,  th« 
present  governor  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  being, 
among  others  particularly  anxious  that  he  should  ac- 
cept of  it.    In  addition  to  the  reasons  that  had  induced 
him  to  decline  the  offer  of  the  Professorship  of  Chemis- 
try were  to  be  added  the  weak  state  of  his  health,  ^\•hich 
would  have  made  the  idea  of  his  having  any  sedous 
engagement  to  fulfil,  ^  cry  irksome  to  him  ;   he  accor- 
dingly declined  it. 

He 


-THE  Memoirs.  171 

He  had  frequent  intimations  of  other  proposals  of  a 
similar  nature  that  would  have  been  made  to  him, 
had  it  not  become  generally  known,  that  he  could 
not  accede  to  them  from  their  being  inconsistent 
with  the  plan  of  life  he  had  laid  down  for  himself. 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  the  account  of  his 
reasons  for  settling  at  Northumberland,  and  of  the 
different  inducements  offered  to  him  to  fix  elsewhere, 
to  do  away  the  erroneous  reports  respecting  the  for- 
mer, and  likewise  to  counteract  the  idea  that  has 
been  so  industriously  circulated  in  England,  that  his 
abilities  were  undervalued,  that  the  bigotry  and  pre- 
judice he  had  to  encounter  in  this  countr}-,  were 
greater  than  were  opposed  to  him  in  England  ;  that 
his  life  was  in  consequence  rendered  uncomfortable, 
and  that  if  he  could,  he  would  have  been  glad  to  have 
returned  to  his  native  country,  but  was  restrained  by 
a  sense  of  shame.  Some  colour  was  given  to  these 
reports  by  many  of  his  countrymen  who,  from  mo- 
tives best  known  to  themselves,  perhaps  thinking 
thereby  to  excuse  the  inconsistency  of  their  own 
conduct,  corroborated  the  accounts,  though  many 
of  them  had  never  seen  my  father  in  this  country,  and 
had  no  authority  whatever  for  assertions  which  were 

entirely 


i72  Continuation  of 

ciiiirely  calumnies.  Some  currency  was  also  given 
to  the  statement,  by  the  Ailse  and  injurious  accounts 
published  by  the  Duke  de  Liancount,  whose  book 
if  I  may  judge  of  it  by  that  part  which  treats  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  of  this  neighbourhood  in  particular,  is 
not  entitled  to  the  least  credit,  being  false  in  almost 
every  particular.  This  my  father  himself  has  stated 
in  a  letter  addressed  to  him. 

The  writer,  understanding  the  language  of  the 
country  but  very  imperfecdy,  must  necessarily  have 
been  liable  to  many  mistakes  ;  nor  is  it  to  be  wonder- 
ed at  that  a  man  who  details  all  the  tittle  tattle  of  eve- 
ry table  to  which  he  is  invited,  and  who  can  basely 
convert  the  hospitable  reception  he  meets  with  in  a 
strange  country,  into  the  means  of  turning  into  ridi- 
cule thoic  who  shewed  him  attention  and  meant  to 
serve  him,  should  be  even  capable  of  fabricating  and 
circulating  gross  and  injurious  falsehoods  respecting 
individuals.  I  should  disgrace  myself,  in  my  opinion, 
and  still  more  should  I  diss:race  the  his-h  situation 

o  o 

"Vhich  my  father  held  in  the  esteem  of  the  public, 
Were  I  in  this  work  to  enter  into  any  further  conside- 
ration of  his  attack  on  my  father's,  character,  satisfied 
that  it  is  beyond  the  reach  of  his  falsehoods  and  un- 

provoked  malevolence. 

My 


THE  Memoirs.  173 

My  father  would,  tio  doubt,  have  been  glad  to 
have  returned  to  England,  and  ha\  e  enjoyed  the  so- 
ciety of  his  old  and  much  valued  friends ;  he  would 
have  rejoiced  to  have  been  nearer  the  centre  of  the 
Arts  and  Sciences ;  to  have  been  joined  jigain  to 
bis  congregation  and  resumed  his  duties  as  a  Chris- 
tian Preacher;  he  would  have  been  glad  at  the 
close  of  life,  as  he  expresses  himself,  "  to  h:-ve 
found  a  grave  in  the  land  that  gave  him 
birth  J  "  but  this  was  impossible  :  and  no 
person  can  read  the  preface  to  his  Fast  Ser- 
mon, quoted  above,  but  must  be  convinced  of  it. 
Though  he  raised  the  credit  of  his  native  country  by 
the  brilliancy,  the  extent  and  the  usefulness  of  his 
discoveries  in  different  branches  of  science;  though 
during  his  whole  life  he  inculcated  principles 
of  virtue  and  religion,  which  the  government 
pretended  at  least  to  believe  were  necessary  to  the 
well  being  of  the  state;  though  in  no  one  single 
act  of  his  life  had  he  violated  any  law  of  his  country 
or  encouraged  others  to  do  so,  what  was  the  treat- 
ment he  met  with  in  that  land  of  boasted  clvilizati- 
on,  and  at  the  close  of  the  18th  Century  ?  It  is  suffi- 
ciently known,  and  wil],asitoughttodo,afrect  thecha- 

racter 


174  Continuation  of 

racter  of  the  nation  at  large.  Therefore,  though  he 
could  have  forgotten  and  forgiven  all  that  was  past, 
though  the  above  mentioned  motives  would  have  had 
great  weight  in  inducing  him  to  return,  yet  there  was 
no  reason  to  expect  that  he  should  meet  hereafter  with 
better  treatment  than  he  had  already  experienced  ; 
and  in  consequence  of  this  fixed  persuasion  he  never 
entertained  the  idea  of  returning  to  live  in  England. 
He  frequently  talked  indeed  of  returning  to  visit  his 
friends ;  but  when  peace  took  place  and  he  could 
have  gone  ^vith  safety,  so  comfortably  was  he  settled 
m  this  country,  and  such  was  his  opinion  of  the  state 
of  things  in  England,  that  he  abandoned  even  the 
idea  of  a  temporary  journey  thither,  altogether. 

But  supposing  the  above  obstacles  had  not  existed 
to  his  return  to  his  native  country,  he  had  no  reason 
to  be,  nor  was  he,  dissatisfied  with  his  reception  here. 
Independent  of  the  attentions  paid  to  him  upon  his 
first  arrival  in  this  countrv,  he  continued  to  receive 
marks  of  respect  from  bodies  of  men,  and  from  indi- 
viduals of  various  opinions  in  religion  and  politics, 
to  whom  he  had  been  all  his  life  before  an  utter 
stranger.  Little  reason  therefore  have  his  country- 
men to  represent  his  reception  in  America  as  une- 
qual 


THE  Memoirs.  175 

qiial  to  his  merits,  or  to  calumniate  the  general  cha- 
racter of  the  people  here.  His  discoveries  did  not 
add  to  the  credit  of  America  as  they  had  done  to  that 
of  England,  yet  he  was  not  obliged  to  wididraw  his 
name  from  its  Philosophical  Society,  disgusted  with 
its  illiberal  treatment  of  himself  and  his  friends. 
The  Americans,  comparatively  speaking,  had  little 
opportunity  of  judging  of  his  zeal  for  the  real  in- 
terests of  religion,  yet  he  was  suffered  to  live  in 
peace  ;  and  this  country  has  not  been  disgraced  by 
the  destruction  of  a  library  and  apparatus  uniformly 
dedicated  to  the  promotion  of  Science,  and  the  good 
of  mankind.  It  will  be  said  that  there  were  not  such 
interests  to  oppose  in  America  as  in  England.  It  isf 
true,  and  it  proves  that  the  Americans  have  done 
well  not  to  create  such  interests,  and  that  the  placing 
all  the  religious  sects  upon  the  same  footing  with 
respect  to  the  government  of  the  country,  has  ef- 
fectually secured  the  peace  of  the  community,  at  the 
same  time  that  it  has  essentially  promoted  the  inter- 
ests of  truth  and  virtue. 

Being  now  settled  at  Northumberland  with  his 
mind  at  peace,  and  at  ease  in  his  circumstances, 
he  seriously  applied  himself  to  those  studies  which 

he 


176  Continuation  op 

he  had  long  heen  compelled  to  desist  from,  and 
which  he  had  but  imperfectly  attended  to  while  he 
resided  at  Hackney.  It  is  true  that  he  spent  his 
time  there  very  agreeably,  in  a  society  of  highly  va- 
lued friends  ;  but  he  did  litde  compared  to  v.hat  he 
effected  while  he  was  at  Birmingham,  or  what  he  has 
done  during  his  residence  here,  owing  to  his  time 
being  very  much  broken  in  upon  at  Hacknry  by 
company.  To  prove  how  much  he  did  in  this 
country  it  is  only  necessary  to  refer  to  the  list  of  the 
publications  which  he  presented  to  the  world  in  \a* 
rious  branches  of  science,  in  theology  and  general 
literature.  Here  as  in  England,  though  more  at  lei- 
sure than  formerly,  he  continued  to  apportion  hiu 
time  to  the  various  occupations  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged, and  strictly  adhered  to  a  regular  plan  of  alter- 
nate study  and  relaxation,  from  which  he  never  ma- 
terially deviated. 

It  was  while  my  flither  was  at  the  academy  that  he 
commenced  a  practice  which  he  continued  until 
within  three  or  four  days  of  his  death,  of  keeping  a 
diary,  in  which  he  put  down  the  occuncnces  of  the 
day;  what  he  was  employed  about,  where  he  had 
been,  and  particularly  an  exact  account  of  what  he 

had 


THE  Memoirs^  177 

had  been  reading,  mentioning  the  names  of  the  au- 
thors, and  the  number  of  pages  he  read,  which  was 
generally  a  fixed  number,  previously  determined 
upon  in  his  own  mind.  He  likewise  noted  down 
any  hints  suggested  by  what  he  read  in  the  course  of 
the  day.  It  ^vas  his  custom  at  the  beginning  of  each 
year  to  arrange  the  plan  of  study  that  he  meant  io 
pursue  that  year,  and  to  review  the  general  situation 
of  his  affliirs,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  he  took  an 
account  of  the  progress  he  had  made,  how  far  he  had 
executed  the  plan  he  had  laid  down,  and  whether  his 
situation  exceeded  or  fell  short  of  the  expectations  he 
had  formed. 

This  practice  was  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to 
him  through  life.  It  was  at  first  adopted  as  a  mode 
of  regulating  his  studies,  and  afterwards  continued 
from  the  pleasure  it  gave  him.  The  greater  part  of 
his  diaries  were  destroyed  at  the  riots  at  Birming- 
ham, but  there  are  still  extant  those  for  the  year 
1754,  1755  and  several  of  the  subsequent  years. 

As  it  will  serve  to  shew  the  regularity  w  ith  v/hich 
he  pursued  his  studies,  and  may  possibly  be  instruc- 
tive as  well  as  angiusing  to  the  reader,  I  shall  give 
a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which  he  spent  a  year 

M  while 


17ff  Continuation  or 

wliile  he  was  at  the  academy,  at  Daventry,  and  for 
that  purpose  shall  select  his  diary  for  the  year  1755 
when  he  was  in  his  22d  year.  The  diary  contains  a 
particular  account  of  v\  hat  he  read  and  wrote  each 
day,  and  at  different  periods  of  the  year  he  sums  up 
in  the  following  manner,  the  progress  he  had  made 
in  improvement,  which  I  give  as  entered  at  the  end 
of  the  diary. 

Business  done  in  January,  February' and  March. 
Practical* 

Howe's  blessedness  of  the  righteous  ;    Bennet's 
pastoral  care ;  Norris's  letters  and  some  sermons. 
ControDersial. 

Taylor  on  Atonement;  Hampton's  Answer; 
Sherlock's  discourses  Vol,  1  ;  Christianity  not 
founded  in  Argument ;  Doddridge's  Answer ; 
Warburton's  divine  legation ;  Benson  on  the  first 
planting  of  Christianity ;  King's  Constitution  of 
the  Primitive  Church. 

Classics. 

Josephus,  Vol.  1,  from  page  390  to  770;  Ovid's 
Metamorphoses  to  page  139;  Tacitus's  History, 
Life  of  Agricola,  and  Manners  of  the  Germans. 

Scriptures. 


THE   Memoirs.^  I79 

Scriptures. 
John  the  Evangelist,  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
the  Epistles  to  the  Romans,  Galatians,  Ephesians,  1st 
and  2d  Corinthians,  in  Greek ;  Isaiah  to  the  8th 
chapter,  in  Hebrew. 

Mathematics. 
Maclaurin's  Algebra  to  part  2d. 

Entertaining* 
Irene ;  Prince  Arthur  ;  Ecclesiastical  characters  ; 
Dryden's  fables;    Peruvian  tales;  Voyage   round 
the   world ;     Oriental    tales ;     Massey's    travels ; 
Life  of  Hai  Ebn  Yokdam ;  History  of  Abdallah. 
Composition. 
A  Sermon  on  the  Wisdom  of  God;  An  Ora- 
tion on  the  means  of  Virtue ;   1st  Vol.  of  the  Insti- 
tutes of  Natural  and  Revealed  Religion. 

Business  done  from  April  1st  to  June  23d. 
Practical. 
Watts's  Catechism,  and  discourses  on  Catechiz- 
ing ;  Fenelon's  spiritual  works  Vol.  1st  and  half  of 
Vol.    2d;    Saurin's   Sermons  a   few;    Tliomas  a 
Kempis  Book  1st  to  ch.  21 ;  Cotton  Mather's  life  ; 
Jenning's  on  preaching  Christianity. 

M  2  Contro. 


180  Continuation  op 

Controversial 
Towgood,  Gill  and  Breckell  on  Baptism  ;    Lc 
Clerc  on  Inspiration  ;   Whiston's  Historical  preface  ; 
Emlyn's  narrative  and  humble  enquiry  ,  Apostolical 
Constitutions ;  Newton  on  the  prophecies  ;  Win- 
der's History  of  knowledge  ;  Hoadly  on  the  Sacra- 
ment ;   Lowman  on  the  Revelation ;  Moral  Philoso- 
pher ;    Hume's   Political  discourses ;    Middleton's 
fathers  of  the  four  first  centuries ;  Middleton  and 
Waterland's  controversy. on  the  Demo- 
niacs ;  Goodrich's  display  of  Human  Nature. 
Classics. 
Cicero's   1st.  Phillippic. 

Historical. 
Universal  History  Vol.  15  and   16  and   to  page 
488  of  the   17th. 

Composition. 
Second  Vol.  of  the  Institutes  of  Natural  and  Re- 
vealed Religion ;  wrote  an  article  on  Edwards's  trans- 
lation of  the  Psalms  for  the  review. 

Prom  Jane  2Sd  to  September  1. 
Practical  PFriters. 
Thomas  a  Kempis  from  Ch.  21  of  Book  1st; 
HaitleyonManvol.2d.    May's  Prayers.    Holland's 

^'^^■^^°^'-  Scriptures, 


THE    MeMOIHS.  18i 

Scriptures. 
From  the  1st  Epistle  of  Timothy  to  the  Revelati- 
ons,and  the  Gospels  of  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke,  in 
the   Greek  Testament  j     The    books  of  Genesis, 
Exodus,  and  Leviticus,  in  the  Hebrew  Bible. 
Classics. 
Ovid  from  Book  9th  ;  Demosthenes  1st  Phillippic 
and  3  OlynthiaCs ;    Herodotus  Book  1st ;    Homer's 
Iliad,  Book  1,  :2,  3  ;    Sallust. 
H.'Story. 
Universal  History  from  Vol.  17  p.  488  to  the  end 
of  Vol.    18.      Neal's   History   of  the   Puritans  4 
Volumes. 

Philosophy. 
The  Anatomical  Articles  in  the  Universal  Dicti- 
onary, several  principal  Agebraic  ones,  and  ail  the 
ktter  A. 

Composition,. 
12  Sermons. 

Business  done  in  September, 
Practical. 
Holland's  Sermons,  Vol.  2d ;  Doddridge's  family 
Expositor  Vol.  1. 

M  3  Scriptures^ 


182  Continuation  o» 

Scriptures. 
John  the  Evangelist,  in  Greek. 

Numbers, and  to  the  16th  Chapter  in  Deuteronomy 
in  Hebrew. 

Classics. 
Homer's  Iliad,  12  books. 

Mathematical. 
Euclid,  Lib.  1,  S,  3. 

History. 
Universal  History,  Vol.  19th. 
Miscellaneous. 
Mason's  Student ;  One  of  Shakespeare's  plays. 

Composition. 
4  Sermons. 

Business  done  in  October. 
Practical. 
Doddridge's  Expositor  Vol.  2d  ;  Common  Prayer 
Book  ;   Fordycc's  Sermons  on  public  Institutions. 
Scriptures. 
Deuteronomy  from  Ch.  16  to  the  end  ;  Ecclesias- 
tes  and  Solomon's  Song  in  Hebrew  and  Greek. 
Classics. 
Homer's  Iliad,  Book  P  to  the  end. 
Mathematical. 

Euclid,  Lib,  4,  5,  6. 

HistorU 


THE  Memoirs*  183 

Historical. 
Universal  History,  Vol.  20th. 
Miscellaneous* 
5  Shakespeares  Plays. 

Composition, 
3  Sermons. 

Business  done  in  November. 
Practical, 
Aberneihy's  Practical  Sermons. 

Scriptures. 
Job,  in  Hebrew  and  the  Septuagint. 

Philosophy y  Mathematics  and  Chemistry^ 
Euclid  Lib.  11  and  12  slightly  ;  Boerhave's  Theo- 
ry of  Chemistry  a  good  part  of  Vol.  1st ;  Rowning's 
Philosophy  half  of  Vol.  1st. 
Classics. 
Francis's  Horace,  Odes  4  books. 

History. 
Universal  History  part  of  Vol.  3d ;  Jewish  Antiqui, 
ties.     History  of  the  Council  of  Trent  to  page  133. 
Anson's  voyage  by  Walter. 
Plays. 
4t  of  Shakespeare's  plays. 

Composition* 

2  Sermons. 

M  4  Busi. 


184  Continuation  of 

Business  done  in  December. 

Practical. 

Abernethy's    Posthumous    sermons    Vol.    2d ; 

Clarke's  sermons  Vol.   1st.  Patiic  on  Ecclesiastes, 

Scriptures* 

Psalms,  in  the  Hebrew  and  Septuagint. 

Philosophy. 
Rowning's  Philosophy  part  2d  and  3d. 

Classics. 
Francis's  Horace  Vol.  2  and  3. 

Miscellaneous  and  Entertaining. 
Malcolm  on  Music,  half;  4  Shakespeare's  plays. 
Half  of  the  1st  Vol.  of  the  Rambler. 
Popes  Ed'iic  Epistles,  a  few. 
History. 
Paul's  Council  of  Trent,  to  page  476  ;  Life  of  the 
Duke  of  Marlborough. 

Composition. 
4  Sermons. 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  extract  from  his  diaiy,  that 
his  studies  were  veiy  varied,  which,  as  he  \\z.%  al- 
ways persuaded,  enabled  him  to  do  so  much.  This 
he  constantly  attended  to  through  life  ;  his  chemical 
and  philosophical  pursuits  serving  as  a  kind  of  re- 
laxation 


THE  Memoirs."  185 

kxatlon  from  his  theological  studies.  His  miscella- 
neous reading,  which  was  at  all  times  very  extensive, 
comprizing  even  novels  and  plays,  still  served  to  in- 
crease the  variety.  For  many  years  of  his  life,  he 
never  spent  less  than  two  or  three  hours  a  day  in 
games  of  amusement,  as  cards  and  backgammon; 
but  particularly  chess — at  which  lie  and  my  mother 
played  regularly  three  games  after  dinner,  and  as 
many  after  supper.  As  his  children  grew  up,  chess 
was  laid  aside  for  whist  or  some  round  game  at  cards, 
which  he  enjoyed  as  much  as  any  of  the  company. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  state  that  he  never  played 
for  money,  even  for  the  most  trifling  sum. 

To  all  these  modes  of  relieving  the  mind,  he  ad- 
ded bodily  exercise.  Independent  of  his  laborato- 
Tj  furnishing  him  with  a  good  deal,  as  he  never  em- 
ployed an  operator,  and  never  allowed  any  one  even 
to  light  a  fire,  he  generally  lived  in  situations  which 
required  his  walking  a  good  deal,  as  at  Calne,  Bir- 
mingham and  Hackney.  Of  that  exercise  he  was 
very  fond.  He  walked  well,  and  his  regular  pace 
was  four  miles  an  hour.  In  situations  where 
the  necessity  of  walking  was  not  imposed  upon 
him,    he    worked    in    his    garden    as    at    Calne, 

when 


186  Continuation  of 

when  he  had  not  occasion  to  go  to  Bowood;  at 
Northumberland  in  America,  he  was  particularly 
attached  to  this  exercise. 

But  what  principally  enabled  liim  to  do  so  much 
was  regularity,   for  it  does  not  appear  that  at   any 
period  of  his  life  he  spent  more  than  six  or  eight 
hours  per  day  in  business  that  required  much  men- 
tal exertion.     I  find  in  the  same  diary,  which  I  have 
quoted  from  above,  that  he  laid  down  the  following 
daily  arrangement  of  time  for  a  minister's  studies  : 
Studying  the  Scriptures  1  hour.     Practical  writers 
1-2  an   hour.      Philosophy  and  History  2  hours. 
Classics  1-2  an  hour.      Composition   1  hour — in 
all  5  hours.     He  adds  below  "  All  which  may  be 
*'  conveniently'dispatched before  dinner,  which  leaves 
*'  the  afternoon  for  visiting  and  company,  and  the 
"  evening  for  exceeding  in  any  article  if  there  be 
"  occasion.     Six  hours  not  too  much,  nor  seven." 

It  appears  by  his  diary  that  he  followed  this  plan 
at  that  period  of  his  life.  He  generally  walked  out 
in  the  afternoon  or  spent  it  in  company.  At  that  time 
there  was  a  society  or  club  that  assembled  twice  a 
week,  at  which  the  members  debated  questions,  or 
took  it  in  turn  to  deliver  orations,  or  read  es- 
says 


THE  Memoirs.  187 

says  of  their  own  composition.  When  not  attend- 
ing these  meetings,  he  most  generally  appears  to 
have  spent  the  evening  in  company  with  some  of  the 
students  in  their  chambers. 

It  was  by  the  regularity  and  variety  of  his  studies, 
more  than  by  intenseness  of  application,  that  he  per- 
formed so  much  more  than  even  studious  men  gene- 
rally do.  At  the  time  he  was  engaged  about  the 
most  important  works,  and  when  he  was  not  busily 
employed  in  making  experiments,  he  always  had  lei- 
sure for  company,  of  which  he  was  fond.  He  never 
appeared  hurried  or  behind  hand.  He  however  ne- 
ver caiTied  his  complaisance  so  far  as  to  neglect  the 
daily  task  he  had  imposed  upon  himself;  but  as  he 
was  uniformly  an  early  riser,  and  dispatched  his 
more  serious  pursuits  in  the  morning,  it  rarely  hap- 
pened but  that  he  could  accompHsh  the  labours  as- 
signed for  the  day,  without  having  occasion  to  with- 
draw from  visitors  at  home,  or  society  abroad,  or 
giving  reason  to  suppose  that  the  company  of  others 
was  a  restrahit  upon  his  pursuits. 

This  habit  of  regularity,  extended  itself  to 
every  tiling  that  he  read,  and  every  thing  he  did 
that  was  susceptible  of  it.     He  never  read  a  book 

^vith- 


183  Continuation  of 

without  determing  in  his  own  mind  when  he 
would  finish  it.  Had  he  a  work  to  transcribe,  he 
would  fix  a  time  for  its  completion.  This  habit 
increased  upon  him  as  he  grew  in  years,  and  his  dia- 
ry Avas  kept  upon  the  plan  I  have  before  described, 
till  within  a  few  days  of  his  death. 

To  the  regularity  and  variety  of  his  studies,  must 
he  added  a  considerable  degree  of  Mechanical  con- 
trivance, wliich  greatly  fiicilitated  the  execution  of 
many  of  his  compositions.  It  was  ho\\cver  most 
apparent  in  his  laboratory,  and  displayed  in  the  sim- 
plicity and  neatness  of  his  apparatus,  which  was  the 
great  cause  of  the  accuracy  of  his  experiments,  and 
of  the  fair  character  which  he  acquired  as  an  experi- 
mental chemist.  This  was  the  result  in  the  first  in- 
stance of  a  necessary  attention  to  oeconomy  in  all 
his  pursuits,  and  was  afterwards  continued  from 
choice,  when  the  necessity  no  longer  existed.  I  re- 
turn from  this  digression  which  1  thought  necessary 
to  give  the  reader  a  general  view  of  my  father's  occu- 
pations, and  his  manner  of  spending  his  time,  to  the 
circumstances  attending  the  remaining  years  of  his 
life. 

At  his  first  setthngat  Northumberland,  there  was 

no 


THE  Memoirs.  189 

no  house  to  be  procured  that  would  furnish  him  with 
the  conveuiencies  of  a  library  and  Irboratorj^  in  addi- 
tion to  the  room  necessary  for  a  family.     Hence  in 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1795,  being  then  fixed  in 
his  determination    to   move  no  more,  he  resolved 
upon  building  a  house  convenient  for  his  pursuits. 
During  the  time  the  house  was  building,  he  had  no 
convenience   for  making  experiments   more    than 
a   common   room    afforded,    and   he   was    thereby 
prevented  from  doing  much  in  this  way.     Still,  he 
ascertained  several  foots  of  importance  in  the  year 
1795  on  the  Analysis  of  Atmospheric  Air,   and  also 
some  in  continuation  of  those  on  the  generation  of 
air  from  water. 

He  had  however  leisure  and  opportunity  for  his 
other  studies  and  in  1795  he  published  observations 
on  the  increase  of  infidelity  and  he  continued  his 
Church  History  fi'om  the  fall  of  the  Western  Empire 
to  the  reformation. 

In  the  spring  of  1796  he  spent  three  months  at 
Philadelphia  and  delivered  there  a  set  of  discourses 
on  the  Evidences  of  Revelation,  which  he  composed 
with  a  view  to  counteract  the  effect  produced  by  the 
writings  of  unbelievers,  which,  as  might  be  expected, 

was 


190  Continuation  of 

was  very  great  in  a  country  where  rational  opinions  in 
religion  were  but  little  known,  and  where  the  eviden- 
ces  of  revelation  had  been  but  little  attended  to.  It 
was  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  him,  and  what  he 
had  Utile  previous  reason  to  expect,  that  his  lectures 
were  attended  by  verj^  crowded  audiences,  including 
most  of  the  members  of  the  congi-ess  of  the  United 
States  at  that timeassembledatPhiludelphia,andof  the 
executive  officers  of  the  o-overnment.  These  discour- 
ses  which,  in  a  regular  and  connected  series,  placed 
Christianity,  and  the  evidences  of  its  truth,  in  a  more 
clear  and  satisfactory  point  of  view  than  it  had  been 
usually  considered  in  this  countiy,  attracted  much 
attention,  and  created  an  interest  in  the  subject  which 
there  is  reason  to  believe  has  produced  lasting  effects. 
My  father  received  assurances  from  many  of  the  most 
respectable  persons  in  the  country,  that  they  viewed 
thr  subject  in  a  totally  different  light  from  what  they 
had  before  done,  and  that  could  they  attend  places 
of  worship,  where  such  rational  doctrines  were  incul- 
cated, they  should  do  it  with  satisfaction. 

As  my  father  had  through  life  considered  the  ofKce 
of  a  Christian  minister  as  the  most  useful  and  ho- 
nourable of  any,  and  had  always  derived  the  greatest 

satisfac- 


THE  Memoirs.  191 

satisfaction  from  fulfilling  its  duties,  particularly  from 
catechizing  young  persons,  the  greatest  source  of  un- 
easiness therefore  to  him  at  Northumberland  was,  that 
there  was  no  sufficient  opportunity  of  being  useful 
in  that  way .     Thou  gh  lie  was  uniformly  treated  with 
kindness  and  respect  by  the  people  of  the  place,  yet 
their  sentiments  in  religion  were  so  different  from  his 
own,  and  the  nature  and  tendency  of  his  opinions  were 
so  little  understood,  tliat  the  establishment  of  a  place  of 
unitarian  worship  perfectly  free  from  any  calvinistio 
or  Arian  tenet,  was  next  to  impossible.     All  there- 
fore that  he  could  do  in  that  way  was,  for  the  two  or 
three  firstyears,  to  read  a  service  either  at  his  own  or  at 
my  house,  at  which  a  few  (perhaps  a  dozen)  English 
persons  were  usually  present,  andin  time,  as  their  num- 
bers increased  he  made  use  of  a  school  room  near  his 
house,  where  from  twenty  to  thirty  regularly  attend- 
ed, and  among  them  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
place,  WHO  by  degrees  began  to  divest  themselves  of 
their  prejudices  with  respect  to  his  opinions.     How- 
ever small  die  number  of  persons  attending,  he  admi- 
nistered the  Lord's  supper,  a  rite  upon  which  he  al- 
ways laid  particular  stress. 

In  the  Autumn  of  1795  he  had  the  misfortune  to 

lose 


192  Continuation  of 

lose  his  youngest  son,  of  whom  being  much  young- 
er than  any  of  his  other  children,  and  having  enter- 
tained the  hopes  of  his  succeeding  him  in  his  Theo- 
logical and  Philosophical  pursuits  he  was  remarka- 
bly fond.  He  felt  this  misfortune  the  more  severely 
as  it  was  the  first  of  the  kind  he  had  experienced, 
and  particularly  as  it  had  a  visible  effect  upon  my 
mother's  health  and  spirits.  He  was  however  so  con- 
stantly in  the  habit  of  viewing  the  hand  of  God  in 
all  things,  and  of  considering  every  occurrence  as 
leading  to  good,  that  his  mind  soon  recovered  its  ac- 
customed serenity,  and  his  journey  to  Philadelphia 
mentioned  above  and  the  success  which  attended  his 
first  exertions  in  the  cause  of,  what  he  deemed,  pure 
and  genuine  Christianity,  led  him  to  look  forvv^ard 
with  cheerfulness  to  the  future,  and  gave  him  an  e- 
nergy  in  his  pursuits,  which  was  never  exceeded  in 
any  part  of  his  life.  It  was  the  same  habit  of  view- 
ing God  as  the  author  of  all  events,  and  produc- 
ing good  out  of  seeming  evil,  that  enabled  him  to 
support  himself  so  well  under  the  greatest  affliction 
that  could  possibly  have  befallen  him,  viz.  the  loss 
of  his  wife,  my  mother ;  who  through  life  had  been 
truly  a  help  meet  for  him;  supporting  him  under 


THE  Memoirs.  193 

all  his  trials  and  sufferings  with  a  constancy  and  peiv 
severance  truly  praise  worthy,  and  who  as  he  him- 
self, in  noting  the  event  in  his  diary,  justly  observes, 
*'  was  of  a  noble  and  generous  mind  and  cared  much 
for  others  and  little  for  herself  throujjh  life." 

In  the  period  between  the  above  very  aiilJ'^ting 
events,  tliough  his  conveniences  for  experimenting 
were  not  increased,  owing  to  his  house,  and  parti- 
cularly  his  laboratory  not  being  finished,  he  wrote  a 
small  treatise  in  defence  of  the  doctrine  of  Phlog-is- 
ton,  addressed  to  the  Philosophers  in  France.  He 
likewise  composed  a  second  set  of  discourses  of  a 
similar  kind  to  those  delivered  in  Philadelphia  the 
preceding  winter.  He  preached  and  printed  a  ser- 
mon in  defence  of  Unitarianism,  and  printed  the  first 
set  of  discourses  ,  he  compleated  his  Church  Histo- 
ry ;  he  made  additional  observations  on  the  increase 
of  infidelity  chiefly  in  answer  to  Mr.  Volney  ;  and 
drew  up  an  Oudine  of  all  the  Evidences  in  fiivour  of 
Revelation. 

In  tlie  spring  of  1797  he  again  spent  t\vo  or  three 
months  in  Pliiladelphia,  and  delivered  a  second  set 
of  discourses,  but  partly  from  the  novelty  of  the  thing 
being  done  away,  partly  from  the  prejudices  that  be- 

N  s:an 


194i  Continuation  op 

gan  to  be  excited  against  him  on  account  cf  his  sup* 
posed  pohtical  opinions,  (for  high-toned  politics  began 
then  to  prevail  in  the  fashionable  circles)  and  partly 
owing  to  the  discourses  not  being  so  well  adapted  for 
a  public  audience,  though  necessary  to  set  the  com- 
parative excellence  of  Christianity  in  its  tme  light, 
they  were  but  thinly  attended  in  comparison  to  his 
former  set.  This  induced  him  to  give  up  the  idea 
of  preaching  any  more  regular  sets  of  discourses. 
He  however  printed  them,  as  likewise  a  sermon  he 
preached  in  favour  of  the  Emigrants.  He  also  com- 
posed at  this  time  a  third  and  enlarged  edition  of  his 
Observations  on  the  increase  of  infidelity,  a  controver- 
sy with  Mr.  Volney,  a  tract  on  the  Knowledge  of  a 
Future  state  among  the  Hebrews,  which,  with  the 
works  he  composed  the  year  before,  he  printed  as  he 
found  means  and  opportunity.  He  revised  his 
Church  History,  began  his  Notes  on  the  Scriptures, 
and  his  Comparison  of  the  Institutions  of  Moses  with 
those  of  the  Hindoos. 

Towards  tlie  end  of  1797  and  not  before,  his  libra- 
ry and  laboratory  were  finished.  None  but  men  de- 
voted  to  literature  can  imagine  the  pleasure  he  deri- 
ved from  being  able  to  renew  bis  experiments  with 

everv 


THE  Memoirs.  195 

c^'cry  poosible  convenience,  and  from  having  his 
books  once  more  arranged.  His  house  was  situated 
in  a  garden,  commanding  a  prospect  equal,  if  not 
superior,  to  any  on  the  river  Susquehanna,  so  justly 
celebrated  for  the  picturesque  views  its  banks  afford. 
It  was  a  singularly  fortunate  circumstance  that  he 
found  at  Northumberland  several  excellent  work- 
men in  metals,  who  could  repair  his  instruments, 
make  all  the  rew  articles  he  wanted  in  the  course  of 
his  experimenting,  as  well  as,  he  used  to  say,  if  not  in 
some  respects  better  than,  he  could  have  got  them 
done  in  Birmingham ;  and  in  the  society  of  Mr. 
Frederick  Antis,  the  brother  of  Mr.  Antis  in  Eng- 
land, and  uncle  of  Mr.  Latrobe  the  engineer,  he  de- 
rived great  satisfaction.  Mr.  Antis  was  a  man  of 
mild  and  amiable  manners,  he  possessed  a  very  good 
knowledge  of  Mechanics  the  result  of  his  own  ob- 
servation and  reflection,  and  a  fund  of  kno\v ledge  of 
many  things  whicli  my  father  frequently  found  useful 
to  resort  to.  The  situation  of  Nordmmberland  be- 
came abundantly  more  convenient  than  it  was  when 
he  first  came  to  the  place.  From  there  being  no  re- 
gular public  post,  there  was  now  established  a  post 
iwice  a  week  to  Philadelphia,  and  answers  could  be 

N  2  recciv- 


196  Continuation  of 

received  to  letters  a\  ithin  a  week,  and  the  communi- 
cation so  much  increased  between  the  two  places, 
that  the  price  of  the  carnage  of  goods  was  reduced 
from  lls.-Sd.  to  6^.  per  Cwt.  the  distance  being 
132  miles. 

Thus  conveniently  situated,  he  resumed  the  same 
kind  of  life  he  led  at  Birmingham,  experimenting 
the  greater  part  of  the  day,  the  result  of  which  he 
published  in  the  Medical  repository  of  New-York. 
Having  compleated  his  Church  History,  he  fini:.hect 
his  Com.parison  of  the  Institutions  of  Moses  with 
those  of  the  Hindoos.  He  likewise  proceeded  as  far 
as  Leviticus  in  the  design  he  had  formed  of  w  riting 
Notes  on  all  the  books  of  Scripture,  and  made  some 
remarks  oa  the  origin  of  all  religions  by  Dupuis, 
but  the  greater  part  of  the  time  that  he  spent  in  theo- 
logy this  year,  \\  as  em.ployed  in  recomposing  the 
Notes  on  the  New-Testament,  which  v\  ere  destroyed 
at  the  riots. 

In  the  course  of  the  year  1799,  he  finished  his 
Notes  on  all  the  books  of  Scripture,  he  published  his 
Comparison  of  the  Ins'itutions  of  Moses  with  those 
of  the  Hindoos,  he  likewise  printed  his  Delence  of 
tlie  doctrine  of  Phlogiston  above  mentioned,  and  the 

greater 


THE  Memoirs.  197 

greater  part  of  each  day  in  the  summer  was  employ- 
ed in  making  the  additional  experiments  he  had  pro- 
jected. 

It  was  in  the  year  1799,  during  Mr.  Adams's 
administration,  that  my  father  had  occasion  to  write 
any  thing  on  the  subject  of  politics  in  this  country. 
It  is  well  known  to  all  his  friends,  that  politics  were 
always  a  sui)ject  of  secondary  importance  ^ilh  him. 
He  however  took  part  occasionally  in  die  conversa- 
tions on  that  subject ;  w  hich  every  person  has  a  right 
to  do,  and  which,  about  the  time  my  f.uhcr  left 
England,  no  person  could  avoid  doing, as  the  subject 
engrossed  so  large  a  part  of  the  conversation  in  al- 
most ever/  company.  He  always  argued  on  the 
side  of  liberty.  He  was  however  in  favour  only  of 
those  changes  that  could  be  brought  about  by  fair 
argument,  and  his  speculations  on  the  subject  of 
British  politics  did  not  go  further  than  a  reform  in 
Parliament,  and  no  way  tended,  in  his  opinion,  to  af- 
fect the  form  of  government,  or  the  constiitition  of 
the  kingdom,  as  vested  in  Kings,  Lords  and  Com- 
mons. He  used  frequently  to  say,  and  it  was  said 
to  him,  that  though  he  was  an  Unitarian  in  Religion 
he  was  in  that  country  a  Trinitarian  in  politics. 

N  3  When 


■198  Continuation   of 

When  he  came  to  America,  he  found  reason  to 
change  his  opinions,  and  he  became  a  decided  friend 
to  the  general  principles  and  practice  of  a  complcat- 
ly  representative  government,  founded  upon  uni- 
versal suffrage,  and  excluding  hereditary  privileges, 
as  it  exists  in  this  country.  This  change  was  natu- 
rally produced  by  observing  the  case  and  happiness 
with  which  the  people  lived,  and  the  unexampled 
prosperity  cf  the  country,  of  which  no  European, 
unless  he  has  resided  in  it  some  time,  and  has  ob- 
served the  interior  part  of  it,  can  be  a  com.pelent 
judge.  But  v,ith  respect  to  England,  he  still  re- 
mained anxious  for  its  peace  and  prosperity,  and 
though  he  had  been  so  hardly  used,  and  though  he 
considered  the  administration  of  the  country,  if  not 
instigating  at  least  conniving  at  the  liots,  no  resent- 
ment existed  in  his  breast  against  the  nation.  In  his 
feelings  he  \\as  still  an  Englishman.  Though  he 
might  speculatively  consider  that  the  mass  of  evil 
and  misery  had  arisen  to  such  a  height  in  England, 
and  in  other  European  countries,  that  there  was  no 
longer  any  hope  of  a  peaceable  and  gradual  reform, 
}et,  connidci  ing  at  the  same  timiC  that  the  great  body 
of  the  people,  IJke   the  Negroes  in  the  \\^est- Indies, 

were 


THE  Memoirs.  199 

were  unprepared  for  the  enjoyment  of  liberty  in  its 
full  extent,  and  contemplating  the  evils  necessarily 
attendant  upon  a  violent  change,  he  dreaded  a  revo- 
lution. 

With  respect  to  America  he  had  never  interfered 
publicly  in  politics,  and  ncAcr  wrote  an  article  that 
could  be  considered  in  that  light  in  any  respect,  ex. 
cept  one  published  m  a  newspaper  called  the  Aiu 
rora,  signed  a  ^aker  in  Politics^  published  on  the 
26th  and  27th  of  Februaiy,  1798,  and  entitled 
Maxims  of  Political  Arithmetic,*  and  so  little  did 
he  interest  himself  in  the  politics  of  this  country, 
that  he  seldom  if  ever  perused  the  debates  in  Con- 
gi'ess,  nor  was  he  much  acquainted  with  any  of  the 
leading  political  characters  except  three  or  four,  and 
with  these  he  never  coiTcspondcd  but  \\ith  Mr, 
Adams  prior  to  his  being  chosen  president,  and  Mr, 
Jefferson.  He  never  was  naturalized,  nor  did  he 
take  part  directly  or  indirectly  in  any  election.  He 
persevered  in  the  same  sentiments  even  when  he  was 
under  reasonable  apprehension  that  he  should  be  ba- 
nished 


Sec  Appcodix,  No.  IV. 

N4 


200  Continuation  of 

ni'-hed  as  an  Alien  :  aid  though  he  advised  his  sons 
to  be  naturalized,  saying  it  was  what  way  daily  done 
by  persons  Mho  could  not  be  suspected  of  wishing 
any  ill  to  their  native  country,  yet  he  would  not  i 
but  said,  that  as  he  had  been  born  and  had  lived  an 
Englishman,  he  would  die  one  let  what  might  be  the 
consequence. 

About  the  year  1799,  the  friends  of  liberty  in  A- 
merica  were  greatly  alarmed  by  the  ad^  ancement  of 
principles  disgraceful  to  America,  and  by  a  practice 
less  liberal  in  many  respects  than  under  the  monar- 
chical form  of  the  British  govern:r.ent.  Nothmg 
else  was  the  subject  of  conversation  and  my  father 
who  though  never  active  in  politics,  at  the  same  time 
never  concealed  his  sentinicnts,  uttered  them  freely 
in  conversation,  and  they  were  of  course  opposed  to 
the  proceedings  of  the  administration  at  the  time. 
Added  to  this  Mr.  Thomas  Cooper  formerly  of 
Manchester,  and  who  at  that  time  had  undertaken 
for  a  short  period,  at  the  request  of  the  printer,  to 
edit  a  newspaper  then  printed  at  Northumberland, 
had  published  some  very  severe  strictures  on  the 
conduct  of  the  administration,  which  were  soon  af- 
ter published  in  a  pan}phlet,  under  the  title  of  Poli- 
tical Essays. 

By 


THE  Memoirs.  201 

By  many  my  father  might  be  ignorantly  supposed 
as  the  prompter  on  the  occasion,  as  Mr.  Cooper  liv- 
ed at  tliat  time  with  my  flither,  and  by  those  who 
knew  better,  it  was  made  the  ostensible  ground  of 
objection  to  mv  father,  to  conceal  the  real  one.  In 
truth  he  saw  none  of  the  essays  until  they  were  print- 
ed, nor  was  he  consulted  by  Mr.  Cooper  upon  any 
part  of  them.  The  consequence  was,  that  all  the 
bigotry  and  party  zeal  of  that  violent  period  was  cm- 
ployed  to  injure  him,  and  misrepresent  his  words 
and  actions.  He  was  represented  as  intriguing  for 
offices  for  himself  and  his  friend,  and  as  an  enemy  to 
the  government  which  they  said  protected  him> 
while  men  who  were  themselves  but  newly  natural- 
ized, or  the  immediate  descendants  of  foreigners, 
bestowed  upon  him  the  epithet  of  Alien,  an  epithet 
then  used  by  the  governm.ent  party  as  a  term  of  re- 
proach, though  the  country  was  principally  indebted 
to  the  capital,  industry  and  enterprize  of  foreigners 
for  the  many  improvements  then  carr\'ing  on.  Such 
was  the  effect  of  all  these  slanderous  reports,  and 
such  was  the  character  of  the  administration,  that  it 
was  intimated  to  my  father,  from  Mr.  Adams  him- 
self, that  he  wished  he  \\ould  abstain  from  sa} ing 

any 


202  Continuation  or 

any  thing  on  politics,  lest  he  should  get  into  difficulty. 
The  Alien  law  which  was  passed  under  that  admini. 
stration,  was  at  that  time  in  operation,  and  a  man 
U'ithout  being  convicted  of,  or  even  positively  charg- 
ed with,  any  offence,  might  have  been  sent  out  of 
tlie  country  at  a  moment's  warning,  not  only  without 
a  trial,  but  without  the  right  of  remonstrance.  It 
was  likewise  hinted  to  my  father  as  he  has  himself 
stated,  that  he  wsls  one  of  the  persons  contemplated 
when  the  law  was  passed,  so  little  did  they  know  of 
his  real  character  and  disposition.  This  occasioned 
my  father  to  write  a  set  of  letters  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Northumberland  ;  in  which  he  expressed  his  senti- 
ments fully  on  all  the  political  questions  at  that  time 
under  discussion.  They  had  the  effect  of  removing 
tlie  unfavourable  impressions  that  had  been  made  on 
the  minds  of  die  liberal  and  candid,  and  procured  him 
m any  friends.  Fortu nately  however  the  violent  mea- 
sures  then  adopted  produced  a  com  pleat  change  in 
the  minds  of  the  people,  and  in  consequence  of  it  in 
the  representation,,  proving  by  thepeaceablenessofit, 
the  excellence  of  this  form  of  government,  and  prov- 
ing also  that  my  father's  sentiments,  as  well  as  Mr. 
Cooper's,  Avere  approved  of  by  nine  tenths  of  the 

people  of  the  United  States. 

It 


iHE  Memoirs.  203 

It  is  but  justice  however  to  mention  that  in  the 
nbove  remarks  which  have  been  made  to  represent 
my  father's  poUtical  character  in  its  true  hght,  and  to 
accouiit  for  his  writing  on  the  subject  of  poUtics,  I 
do  not  mean  to  reflect  on  all  the  federalists,  and  that 
though  my  father  considered  them  all  as  in  error,  yet 
he  acknowledged  himself  indebted  to  many  of  that 
party  for  tlic  most  sincere  marks  of  friendship  which 
he  had  received  in  this  country,  and  that  not  only 
from  his   opponents  in  politics,  but  likewise  from 
many  of  the  principal  clergymen  of  various  denomi- 
nations in  Philadelphia,   and  particularly  during  his 
severe  illness  in  that  city,  when  party  spirit  was  at 
the  highest,  it  being  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Jefferson's 
first  election  to  the  presidency. 

As  my  father  has  given  an  account  of  those  friends 
to  whose  kindness  and  generosity  he  was  principally 
indebted  from  the  commencement  of  his  literaiy  ca- 
reer, to  the  time  of  his  coming  to  America,  I  think  it 
my  duty  to  follow  his  example,  and  to  make  on  his 
l^art  those  ackno\vledgements  which  had  he  lived,  he 
would  have  tiiken  pleasure  in  making  himself-  To 
the  Revd.  ThcophilusLindsey,independentof  the  ma- 
ny marks  of  the  most  sincere  friendship,  which  he  Mas 

constant- 


204  Continuation  oT 

constantly  receiving,  he  was  occasionally  indebted  for 
pecuniary  assistance  at  times  when  it  was  most  want- 
ing.    Independent  of  50  £.  per  annum,  which  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  R  lyner  allowed  him  from  the  time  he  left 
England,   she  left  hi.n  by  her  will  £.  2000  in  the  4 
per  cents.     Mr.  Michael  Dodson  who  is  \\d\  known 
as  the  translator  of  Isaiah  left  him  j(^  500,   and  Mr. 
Samuel  Salte  left  him  100  £.     The  Duke  of  Graf- 
ton remitted  him  aunually  4>0jr.     Therefore  though 
his  expences  were  far  greater  than  he  expected,  and 
though  his  house  cost  him  double  the  sum  he  had 
contemplated,  the  generosity  of  his  friends  made  him 
perfectly  easy  in  his  miiid  with  respect  to  pecuniary 
aifairs;  and  by  freciig  him  from  all  care  and  anxie- 
ty on  this  head  conrributed  greatly  to  his  happiness, 
and  to  his  successful  endeavours  in  the  cause  of  truth. 
Besides  these  instances  of  friendly  attention,  the  dif- 
ferent branches  of  his  family  have  been,  in  various 
ways,  benefited,   in  consequence  of  the  respect  paid 
to  my  father's  character,  and  the  affectionate  regard 
shewn  by  his  friends  to  all  who  were  connected  with 
him. 

But  what  gave  my  father  most  real  pleasure  was 
the  subscription,  set  on  foot  by  his  friends  in  England, 

to 


THE   Memoirs.'  205 

lo  enable  him  to  print  his  Church  IIlstor\%  and  his 
Notes  on  all  the  Books  of  Scripture.  The  whole 
was  done  without  his  knowledge,  and  the  first  infor- 
mation he  received  on  the  subject  was,  that  ihcic 
was  a  sum  raised  sufficient  to  cover  the  whole  cx- 
pence. 

About  the  time  he  died,  some  of  his  friends  in 
England  understood  that  he  was  likely  to  suffer  a  loss 
in  point  of  income  of  j^.  200  per  annum.  Wi.hout 
any  solicitation,  about  forty  of  them  raised  the  sum 
of  j^.  450,  which  was  meant  to  have  been  conthiued 
annually  while  he  lived.  He  did  not  live  to  know 
of  this  kind  exertion  in  his  favour.  It  is  my  duty 
however  to  record  this-  instance  of  generosity,  and  I 
do  it  with  pleasure  and  with  gratitude.  It  likewise 
proves  that  though  my  fluher  by  the  fearless  avowal 
of  his  opinions  created  many  enemies,  yet  that  the  ho- 
nesty and  independence  of  his  conduct  procured  him 
many  friends. 

The  first  years  subscription  has  been  transmitted 
to  America,  to  defray  the  expcnce  of  publishing  his 
posthumous  works. 

In  the  year  1800  he  was  chiefiy  employed  in  expe- 
riments, and  writing  an  account  of  them  for  various 

publica-. 


206  Continuation  o5 

publications.'  In  this  year  also  he  published  his 
treatise  in  defence  of  Phlogiston,  he  revised  his 
Church  History,  the  two  first  volumes  of '.vhich  are 
now  reprinted  with  considerable  additions,  and  he 
added  to  and  improved  his  Notes  on  the  Scriptures, 

He  spent  some  time  in  the  spring  of  1801  in  Phi- 
ladelphia, during  his  stay  there  he  had  a  violent  attack 
of  fever  which  weakened  him  exceedingly,  and  from 
the  effects  of  which  he  never  perfectly  recovered. 
Added  to  this  the  fever  and  ague  prevailed  at  Nor- 
thumberland and  the  neighbourhood,  for  the  first 
time  since  his  settlement  at  the  place.  He  had  two 
or  three  attacks  of  this  disorder  ;  which  though  they 
were  not  very  severe,  as  he  had  never  more  than  diree 
fits  at  a  time,  retarded  his  recovery  very  much.  He 
perceived  the  effect  of  his  illness  in  the  diminution  of 
his  strength,  and  his  noc  being  able  to  take  as  much 
exercise  as  he  used  to  do.  His  spirits  however  were 
good,  and  he  was  very  assiduous  in  making  experi- 
ments, chiefly  on  the  pile  of  Volta,  the  result  of 
which  he  sent  an  account  of  to  Nicholson's  Journal 
^nd  the  Medical  Repository. 

In  1802  he  began  to  print  his  Church  History,  in 
consequence  of  the  subscription  raised  by  his  friends 

in 


»HE  Memoirs.  207 

in  England  as  before  stated.  Besides  printing  three 
volumes  of  that  work,  he  wrote  and  printed  a  treatise 
on  Baptism,  chiefly  in  answer  to  the  observations  of 
Mr.  Robinson  on  the  subject.  He  likewise  made 
some  experiments,  and  replied  to  some  remarks  of 
Mr.  Ciuikshank  in  defence  of  the  Antiphlogistic 
theory. 

I  am  now  to  describe  the  last  scene  of  his  life, 
which  deserves  the  reader's  most  serious  considera- 
tion, as  it  shews  the  powerful  effect  of  his  religious 
principles.  They  made  him,  not  resigned  to  quit  a 
world  in  which  he  no  longer  had  any  delight,  and 
in  which  no  hope  of  future  enjoyment  presented  it« 
self,  but  chearful  in  the  certainty  of  approaching  dis- 
solution, and  under  circumstances  that  would  by 
the  world  in  general  have  been  considered  as  highly' 
enviable.  They  led  him  to  consider  death  as  the  la- 
bourer does  sleep  at  night  as  being  necessary  to  renevT 
his  mental  and  corporcixl  powers,  and  fit  him  for  a 
future  state  of  activity  and  happiness.  For  though 
since  his  illness  in  Philadelphia  in  1801  he  had  never 
recovered  his  former  good  state  of  health,  yet  he  had 
never  been  confined  to  his  bed  a  whole  day  by 
sickness  in  America  until  ^\ithin  two  days  of  his 

death- 


208  Continuation"  of 

death,  and  was  never  incapacitated  for  any  pursuit 
that  he  had  been  accustomed  to.  He  took  great 
delight  in  his  garden,  and  in  viewing  the  litdc 
improvements  going  forward  in  and  about  tlie 
town.  The  rapidly  increasing  prosperity  of  the 
country,  whether  as  it  regarded  its  agriculture,  ma- 
nufactures, and  commerce,  or  the  increasing  taste  for 
science  and  literature,  -were  all  of  them  to  him  a 
source  of  the  purest  pleasure.  For  the  last  four 
years  of  his  life  he  lived  under  an  administration, 
the  principles  and  practice  of  which  he  perfectly  ap- 
proved, and  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  head  of  diat 
administration,  he  frequently  corresponded,  and  they 
had  for  each  other  a  mutual  regard  and  esteem.  He 
enjoyed  the  esteem  of  the  wisest  and  best  men  in 
the  country,  particularly  at  Philadelphia,  where  his 
religion  and  his  politics  did  not  prevent  his  being 
kindly  and  cheerfully  received  by  great  numbers  of 
opposite  opinions  in  both,  who  thus  paid  homage  to 
his  knowledge  and  virtue.  At  home  he  was  be- 
loved ;  ?nd  besides  the  advantages  of  an  excellent 
library,  to  which  he  was  continually  making  additi- 
ons, and  of  a  laboratory  that  was  amply  provided 
with  every  thing  necessary  for  an  experimental  che- 
mist, 


THE  Memoirs.  Si.09 

mist,  he  was  perfectly  freed,  as  he  had  happily  been 
through  life,  in  consequence  of  my  mother's  ability 
and  attention,  from  any  attention  to  worldly  con- 
cerns; considering  himself,  as  he  used  to  express 
himself,  merely  as  a  lodger,  having  all  his  time  to 
devote  to  his  theological  and  philosophical  pursuits. 
He  had  the  satisfaction  of  u  itncssing  the  gradual 
spread  of  his  religious  opinions,  and  the  fullest  con- 
viction that  he  should  prevail  over  his  opponents  in 
chemistry.  He  looked  forward  with  the  gi-eatest 
pleasure  to  future  exertions  in  both  these  fields,  and 
had  within  the  last  month  or  six  weeks  been  project- 
ing many  improvements  in  his  apparatus,  which  he 
meant  to  make  use  of  upon  the  return  of  warm  wea- 
ther in  the  spring.  Notwithstanding,  therefore,  the 
many  trials  he  underwent  in  this  country,  he  had 
still  great  sources  of  happiness  left,  unalloj-ed  by  any 
apprehension  of  any  material  defect  in  any  of  his 
senses,  or  any  abatement  of  the  vigour  of  his  mind. 
Consistent  with  the  above  was  his  declaration  that, 
excepting  t!\e  want  of  the  society  of  Mr.  L.  Mr.  B. 
and  two  or  three  other  particular  friends,  which 
hovvever  was  made  up  to  him,  in  some,  though  in 
a  small  degree  by  their  rcgulai'  correspondence,  he 

O  had 


110  Continuation   of 

liad  never  upon  the  whole  spent  any  part  of  his  life 
more  happily,  nor,  he  believed,  more  usefully. 

The  first  part  of  his  illness,  independent  of  his 
general  weakness,  the  result  of  his  illness  in  Phila- 
delphia in  1801,  was  a  constant  indigestion,  and  a 
difficulty  of  swallowing  meat  or  any  kind  of  solid 
food  unless  previously  reduced  by  mastication  to  a 
perfect  pulp.  This  gradually  increased  upon  him 
till  he  could  swallow  liquids  but  very  slowly,  and 
led  him  to  suspect,  which  he  did  to  the  last,  that 
there  must  be  some  stoppage  in  the  oesophagus. 
Latterly  he  lived  almost  entirely  upon  tea,  choco- 
late, soups,  sago,  custard  puddings,  and  the  like. 
During  all  this  time  of  general  and  increasing  debi- 
lity, he  was  busily  employed  in  printing  his  Church 
History,  and  the  first  volume  of  the  Notes  on  Scrip- 
ture ;  and  in  making  new  and  original  experiments, 
an  account  of  ^^hich  he  sent  to  the  American  Philo- 
sophical  Society  in  two  numbers,  one  in  answer  to 
Dr.  Darwin's  observations  on  Spontaneous  genera- 
tion, and  the  other  on  the  unexpected  conversion  of 
a  quantity  of  the  marine  acid  into  the  nitrous. 
During  this  period,  likewise,  he  \rrote  his  pamphlet 
of  Jesus  and  Socrates  compared,  aiid  re-printed  his 

Essay 


THE  Memoirs.  211 

Essay  on  Phlogiston.  He  would  not  suffer  any  one 
to  do  for  him  what  he  had  been  accustomed  to  do 
himself;  nor  did  he  alter  his  former  mode  of  life  in 
any  respect,  excepting  that  he  no  longer  worked  in 
his  garden,  and  that  he  read  more  books  of  a  mis- 
cellaneous nature  than  he  had  been  used  to  do  when 
he  could  work  more  in  his  laboratory,  which  hud 
always  served  him  as  a  relaxation  from  his  other 
studies. 

From  about  the  beginning  of  November  1803, 
to  the  middle  of  January  1804,  his  complaint  grew 
more  serious.  He  was  once  incapable  of  swallowing 
any  thing  for  near  thirty  hours ;  and  there  being 
some  sx'mtoms  of  inflammation  at  his  stomach, 
blisters  were  applied,  which  afforded  him  relief;  and 
by  very  great  attention  to  his  diet,  riding  out  in  a 
chair  when  the  ^\eather  would  permit,  and  living 
chiefly  on  the  soft  parts  of  oysters,  he  seemed  if  not 
gaining  ground,  at  least  not  getting  worse  ;  and  \\c 
had  reason  to  hope  that  if  he  held  out  until  spring  as 
he  was,  the  same  attention  to  his  diet  \v  ith  more  ex- 
ercise, which  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  take  on  ac- 
count of  the  cold  weather,   would  restore  him  to 

health.     He,   however,   considered  his  life  as  very 

O  2  pvecari- 


212  Continuation  of 

precarious,  and  used  to  tell  the  physician  who  at- 
tended him,  that  if  he  could  but  patch  him  up  for 
six  months  longer  he  should  be  perfecth'^  satisfied, 
as  he  should  in  that  time  be  able  to  complete  print- 
ing h's  vvork^.  The  swelling  of  his  feet,  an  alarm- 
ing symptom  of  general  debility,  began  about  this 
time. 

To  give  some  idea  of  the  exertions  he  made  even 
at  this  time,  it  is  only  necessary  for  me  to  say,  that 
besides  his  miscellaneous  reading,  which  was  at  all 
times  very  great,  he  read  through  all  the  \\orks 
quoted  in  his  comparison  of  the  difterent  systems  of 
the  Grecian  Philosophers  with  Christianity,  com- 
posed that  work,  and  transcribed  the  whole  of  it  in 
less  than  three  mondis.  He  took  the  precaution  of 
transcribinsr  one  dav  in  lonar  hand  v.  hat  he  had  com- 
posed  the  day  before  in  short  hand,  that  he  might  by 
that  means  leave  the  work  complete  as  far  as  it  M-ent, 
should  he  not  live  to  complete  the  whole.  During 
this  period  he  composed  in  a  day  his  second  reply  to 
Dr.  Linn. 

About  this  time  he  ceased  performing  divine  ser- 
A ice,  A^hich  he  said  he  had  never  before  known  him- 
self incapable  of  performing,  notwithstanding  he  had 

been 


THE  Memoirs.  21S 

been  a  preacher  so  many  years.  He  likewise  now 
suffered  me  to  rake  his  fire,  rub  his  feet  ^^ith  a 
flesh-brush,  and  occasionally  help  him  to  bed.  In 
tlie  mornings  likewise  he  had  his  fire  made  for  him, 
which  he  always  used  to  do  himself,  and  generally 
before  any  of  the  family  was  stirring. 

In  the  last  fortnight  in  January  he  was  troubled 
with  alarming  fits  of  indigestion  ;  his  legs  swelled 
nearly  to  his  knees,  and  his  weakness  increased  very 
much.  I  wrote  for  him,  while  he  dictated,  the  con- 
cluding section  of  his  New  Comparison,  and  the  Pre- 
face and  Dedication.  The  finishing  this  work  was 
a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  him,  as  he  consider- 
ed it  as  a  work  of  as  much  consequence  as  any 
he  had  ever  undertaken.  The  first  alarming  sym- 
ptom of  apprr-aching  dissolution  was  his  being  unable 
to  speak  to  me  upon  my  entering  his  room  on  Tues- 
day morning  the  31st  of  Januar}*.  In  his  Diaiy  I 
find  he  stated  his  situation  as  follows  :  "  III  all  day — 
Not  able  to  speak  for  near  three  hours."  Wlicn  he 
was  able  to  speak  he  told  me  he  had  slept  ^\  ell,  as  he 
uniformly  had  done  throuy-h  the  whole  of  liis  ill- 
ness  ;  so  that  he  never  would  suffer  mc,  though  I 
frequently  requested  he  would  do.it,  to  sleep  in  the 

O  3  same 


^14  COA'TINUATION    Of' 

same  room  with  him  ;  tl)at  he  felt  as  wall  as  possible  ; 
that  he  got  up  and  shaved  himself,  which  he  never 
omitted  doing  every  morning  till  v\  ithin  two  days  of 
his  death  ;  that  he  went  to  his  laboratory,  and  then 
found  his  weakness  very  great ;  that  he  got  back 
%vith  difficulty  ;  that  just  aftorward  his  grand-daugh- 
ter, a  child  of  about  six  or  seven  years  old,  came  to 
him  to  claim  the  fulfilment  of  a  promise  he  had 
made  her  the  evening  before,  to  give  her  a  livepenny 
bit.  He  gave  her  the  money,  and  was  going  to 
speak  to  her,  but  found  himself  unable.  He  inform- 
ed me  of  this,  speaking  very  slowly  a  word  at  a  time  ; 
and  added,  that  he  h::d  never  felt  more  pleasantly  in 
his  whole  life  than  he  did  during  tlie  time  he  was 
unable  to  speak.  After  he  had  taken  his  medicine, 
which  was  bark  and  laudanum,  and  drank  a  bason  of 
strong  mutton  broth,  he  recovered  surprizingly,  and 
talked  with  cheerfulness  to  all  who  called  upon  him, 
but  as  though  he  was  fully  sensible  that  he  had  not 
lone  to  live.  He  coi»scnted  for  the  fust  time  that  I 
should  sleep  in  the  room  w  itii  him. 

On  Wednesday,  February  1,  he  >vritcs,  "I  was 
at  times  much  better  in  the  moniir.g:  capable  of 
some  buisiness  :    continued  better  all  day."      He 

spake 


THE  Memoirs.  215 

spake  this  morning  as  strong  as  usual,  and  took  in 
the  course  of  the  clay  a  good  deal  of  nourishment 
with  pleasure.  He  said,  that  he  felt  a  return  of 
strength,  and  with  it  there  was  a  dut}^  to  perform. 
He  read  a  good  deal  in  Newcome's  Translation  of 
the  New  Testament,  and  Stevens's  History  of  the 
War.  In  the  afternoon  he  gave  me  some  directions 
how  to  proceed  with  the  printing  his  work  in  case 
he  should  die.  He  gave  me  directions  to  stop  the 
printing  of  the  second  volume,  and  to  begin  upon 
the  third,  that  he  might  see  ho^v  it  was  begun,  and 
that  it  might  ser\e  as  a  pattern  to  me  to  pro- 
ceed l)y. 

On  Thursday,  the  2d,   he  wrote  thus  for  the  last 
time  in  his  Diary :    "  Much  ^^•orse  :    incapable  oF 
business:    MrJ   Kennedy  came  to  receive  instruc- 
tions about  printing  in  case  of  my  death."     He  sat 
up,  however,  a  great  part  of  the  day,  \\\as  cheer- 
ful, and  gave  Mr.  Cooper  and  myself  some  direc- 
tions,  with  the  same  composure  as  though  he  had 
only  been  about  to  leave  home  for  a  short  time. 
Tliough  it  was  fatiguing  to  him  to  talk,  he  read  a 
good  deal  in  die  v^orks  above  mentioned. 

On  Friday  he  m  as  much  belter.      He  sat  up  a 
O  1  good 


216  CoNTlNUATIOW  OF 

good  part  of  the  day  reading  Ne\^•come ;  Dr.  Dis- 
ney's Translation  of  the  Psalms  ;  and  some  chapters 
ill  the  Greek  Testament,  u  hich  was  his  daily  practice. 
He  corrected  a  proof-sheet  of  the  Notes  on  Isaiah, 
When  he  ^ent  to  bed  he  was  not  so  well :  he  had 
an  idea  he  should  not  live  another  day.  At  prayer- 
time  he  wished  to  have  the  children  kneel  by  his 
bedside,  saying,  it  gave  him  great  pleasure  to  see  the 
little  things  kneel ;  and,  thinking  he  possibly  might 
not  see  them  again,  he  gave  them  his  blessing. 

On  Saturday,  the  4th,  my  father  got  up  for 
about  an  hour  while  his  bed  was  made.  He  said  he 
felt  more  comfortable  in  bed  than  up.  He  read  a 
good  deal,  and  looked  over  the  first  sheet  of  the  third 
volume  of  the  Notes,  that  he  might  see  how  we  \\ere 
likely  to  go  on  with  it ;  and  having  examined  the 
Greek  and  Hebrew  quotations,  and  finding  them 
right,  he  said  he  was  satisfied  we  should  finish  the 
■work  very  well.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  he  ex- 
pressed his  gratitude  in  being  permitted  to  die  quiet- 
ly in  his  family,  without  pain,  with  every  convenience 
and  comfort  he  could  wish  for.  He  dwelt  upon  the 
peculiarly  happy  situation  in  which  it  had  pleased  the 
Divine  Being  to  place  him  in  life ;  and  the  great  ad- 
vantage 


THE   Memoirs.  217 

vantage  he  had  enjoyed  in  the  acquaintance  and 
friendship  of  some  of  the  best  and  wisest  men  in  the 
age  in  which  he  lived,  and  the  satisfaction  he  derived 
from  having  led  an  useful  as  well  as  a  happy  life. 

On  Sunday  he  w  as  much  weaker,  and  only  sat  up 
in  an  armed  chair  while  his  bed  w  as  made.  He  de- 
sired me  to  read  to  him  the  eleventh  chapter  of  John. 
I  was  going  on  to  read  to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  but 
he  stopped  me  at  the  45th  verse-  He  dwelt  for 
some  time  on  the  advantage  he  had  derived  from 
reading  the  scriptures  daily,  and  advised  me  to  do 
the  same  ;  saying,  that  it  would  prove  to  me,  as  it 
had  done  to  hhn,  a  source  of  the  purest  pleasure. 
He  desired  me  to  reach  him  a  pamphlet  which  was 
at  his  bed's  head,  Simpson  on  the  Duration  of  fu- 
lure  Punishment.  "  It  will  be  a  source  of  satisfaction 
to  you  to  read  that  pampnlet,"  said  he,  giving  it  to 
me,  "  It  contains  my  sentiments,  and  a  belief  in 
them  will  be  a  support  to  you  in  the  most  tr}'ing  cir- 
cu  mstanccs,  as  it  has  been  to  me.  We  shall  all  meet 
finally :  wc  only  require  different  degrees  of  disci- 
pline, suited  to  our  different  tempers,  to  prepare  us 

for  final  happiness."     Upon  Mr. coming  into 

his  room,  he  said,  "  You  see.  Sir,  I  am  still  living." 

Mr. 


218  Continuation  of 

Mr. observed,  he  would  always  live.    "  Yen," 

said  he,   "  I  believe  I  shall ;  and  we  shall  all  meet 
again  in  another  and  a  better  world."     He  said  this 

with  great  animation,  laying  hold  on  Mr. 's 

hand  in  both  his. 

Before  prayers  he  desired  me  to  reach  him  three 
publications,  about  which  he  would  give  me  some 
directions  next  morning.  His  weakness  would  not 
permit  him  to  do  it  at  that  time. 

At  prayers  he  had  all  the  children  brought  to  his 
bed-side  as  before.  After  prayers  they  wished  him 
a  good  night,  and  M'ere  leaving  the  room.  He  de- 
sired them  to  stay,  spoke  to  them  each  separately. 
He  exhorted  them  all  to  continue  to  love  each  other. 
"And  you,  httle  thing,"  speaking  to  Eliza,  ''re- 
member the  hymn  }ou  learned  ;  '  Birds  in  their  lit- 
tle nests  agree,'  &c.  I  am  going  to  sleep  as  well  as 
you  :  for  death  is  only  a  good  long  sound  sleep  in 
the  grave,  and  we  shall  meet  again."  He  congratu- 
lated us  on  the  dispositions  of  our  children;  said  it 
was  a  satisfaction  to  see  them  likely  to  turn  out  well ; 
and  continued  for  some  time  to  express  his  confi- 
dence in  a  havjpy  immorality,  and  in  a  future  state, 
which  would  afford  us  an  ample  field  for  the  exerti- 
on of  our  fiicultics. 

Oa 


THE  Memoirs.  219 

On  Monday  morning,  the  6th  of  February,  after 
having  lain  perfectly  still  till  four  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  he  called  to  me,  but  in  a  fainter  tone  than 
usual,  to  give  him  some  wine  and  tincture  of  bark. 
I  asked  him  how  he  felt.  He  answered,  he  had  no 
pain,  but  appeared  fainting  away  gradually.  About 
an  hour  after,  he  asked  mc  for  some  chicken  broth, 
of  which  he  took  a  tea- cup  full.  His  pulse  was 
quick,  weak,  and  fluttering,  his  breathing,  though 
easy,  short.  About  eight  o'clock,  he  asked  me  to 
give  him  some  cg^  and  wine.  After  this  he  lay  quite 
still  till  ten  o'clock,  when  he  desired  me  and  Mr. 
Cooper  to  bring  him  the  pamphlets  we  had  looked 
out  the  exening  before.  He  then  dictated  as  cleai'ly 
and  distinctly  as  he  had  ever  done  in  his  life  the  ad- 
ditions and  alterations  he  wished  to  have  made  iu 
each.  Mr.  Cooper  took  down  the  substance  of 
what  he  said,  which,  when  he  had  done,  I  read  to 
him.  He  said  Mr.  Cooper  had  put  it  in  his  own 
language  ;  he  wished  it  to  be  put  in  his.  I  then 
took  a  pen  and  ink  to  his  bed-side.  He  then  re- 
peated over  again,  nearly  a\  ord  for  word,  what  he 
Iiad  before  said  ,  and  w  hen  I  had  done,  I  read  it 
.over  to  him.      "  That  is  right ;  I  have  now  done." 

About 


220  Continuation  of 

About  half  an  hour  after  he  desired,  in  a  faint 
voice,  that  we  would  move  him  from  the  bed  on 
whieh  he  lay  to  a  cot,  that  he  might  lie  with  his 
lower  limbs  horizontal,  and  his  head  upright.  He 
died  in  about  ten  minutes  after  we  had  moved  him, 
but  breathed  his  last  so  easy,  that  neither  myself  or 
my  wife,  who  were  both  sitting  close  to  him,  'per- 
ceived it  at  the  time.  He  had  put  his  hand  to  his 
face,  which  prevented  our  observing  it.'* 

The  aboA'C  account,  which  conveys  but  a  very  in- 
adequate idea  of  the  composure  and  chearfulnees  of 
his  last  moments  deserves  the  attention  of  unbelievers 
in  general,  particularly  of  Philosophical  Unbelievers. 
They  have  known  him  to  be  zealous  and  active  in 
the  pursuit  of  Philosophical  truths  and  to  be  ever 
ready  to  ackno\A  ledge  any  mistakes  he  may  have  fal- 
len into.  By  the  perusal  of  these  Memoirs  they  liave 
found  that  he  gradually,  and  after  much  thought  and 
reflection  abandoned  all  those  opinions  which  disgrace 
v,hat  is  usually  called  Christianity  in  the  eyes  of  rati- 
onal men  and  \\  hose  inconsistency  with  reason  and 
common  sense  lias  most  probably  been  the  cause  of 
their  infidelity  and  of  their  total  inattention  to  the  e- 
videnccs  of  chrislianity.  These  opinions  he  aban- 
doned 


THE  Memoirs.  221 

doned,  because  he  could  not  find  them  supported 
either  in  the  Scriptures  or  in  the  genuine  writings  of 
the  early  christians.  Thc}'  must  be  sensible  that 
the  same  desire  for  truth  and  the  same  fearless  spirit 
of  enquiry  and  the  same  courage  in  the  open  avowal 
of  the  most  obnoxious  tenets  would  have  led  him  to 
have  discarded  religion  altogether  had  he  seen  reason 
so  to  do,  and  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  he  would 
have  been  subject  to  less  obloquy  by  so  doing 
than  by  exposing  tlic  various  corruptions  of  Chris- 
tianity in  the  manner  he  did.  They  have  seen 
however  that  in  proportion  as  he  attended  to  the  sub- 
ject his  faith  in  Christianity  increased  and  produced 
that  happy  disposition  of  mind  described  in  these 
Memoirs.  The  subject  is  therefore  well  deserving 
of  their  attention  and  they  should  he  induced  from  so 
fair  an  example,  and  the  weight  due  to  my  father's 
opinions,  to  make  themselves  fully  acquainted  ^\  ith 
the  arguments  in  favour  of  Christianity  before  they 
reject  it  as  an  idle  fable. 

Many  unbelievers  have,  no  doubt,  borne  ^\ith 
great  patience  severe  calam.ities  ;  they  have  suffered 
death  with  great  fortitude  m  hen  engaged  in  a  good 
cause,   and  many  have  courted  death  to  serve  their 

friends 


222  Continuation   or 

friends  or  their  country.  It  must  however  be  allow- 
ed that  there  is  no  great  merit  in  meeting  death  with 
fortitude  when  it  cannot  be  avoided,  and  likewise  that 
the  above  cases  cannot  be  absolutely  calculated  upon, 
as  there  is  no  sufficient  motive  to  account  for  their 
conduct.  But  upon  a  truly  practical  christian  there 
is  the  greatest  depcndance  to  be  placed  for  acting 
well  in  all  the  situations  in  w  hich  he  may  be  found, 
his  highest  interest  being  connected  ^\  ith  the  perfor- 
mance of  the  greatest  duties  ;  and  even  supposing 
that  many  persons,  who  are  not  christians,  from 
favourable  circumstances  attendant  upon  their  birth 
and  education,  and  from  a  naturally  happy  tempera- 
ment of  body  and  mind,  may,  and,  it  must  be  allowed 
do  acquire  a  habit  of  disinterested  benevolence  and 
may  in  general  be  depended  upon  to  act  uniformly 
well  in  life,  still  the  christian  has  a  decided  advantage 
over  them  in  the  hour  of  death,  as  to  consider  death 
as  necessary  to  his  entering  upon  a  new  and  enlarged 
sphere  of  activity  and  enjoyment,  is  a  privilege  that 
belongs  to  him  alone. 


AP^EN- 


APPENDIX,    NO.    1. 

Of  the  disconserics  in  factitious  Airs  before  tlie  time 
of  Dr.  Priestley  J  and  of  those  made  by  himself . 

l^W.  PRIESTLEY  has  given  a  general  thougli 
brief  account^  of  w  hat  had  been  done  by  his  prede- 
cessors in  this  department  of  experimental  Philoso- 
phy, and  Sir  John  Pringle  in  his  discourse  before 
the  Royal  Society  on  occasion  of  presenting  Dr. 
Priestley  Avith  the  Copley  I^.Icdal  in  17721  has  en- 
tered expressly,  and  more  full}'  into  the  history  of 
pneumatic  discoveries.  The  same  subject  was  taken 
up  about  three  years  after  by  Mr.  Lavoisier  still 
more  at  large,  in  the  introduction  to  his  first  Vol. 
of  Physical  and  Chemical  Essays,  of  which  a  transla- 
tion \A  as  published  by  INIr.  Henry  of  Manchester  in 
1776.  It  is  unnecsssary  to  detail  here  \vhat  thev 
have  \\  ritten  on  the  histor}-  of  these  discoveries.     It 

may 

•  In  the  beginning  of  liis  first  vol.  of  experiments  ;  it  is  an  abridg- 
ment of  Sir  J.  Piinglc's  discourse. 

t   Discourses  p.  A, 


224  Appendix  Ko.  1. 

may  be  observed  that  no  mention  is  made  by  any  of 
these  gentlemen  of  an  experiment  of  Mr.  John 
Maud,  in  July  1736*,  who  procured  (and  eonfined) 
inflammable  air  from  a  solution  of  Iron  in  the  vitrio- 
lic acid.  Inflammable  air  had  been  procured  from 
the  White  Haven  coal  mines,  and  exhibited  to  the 
Royal  Society  by  Mr.  James  Lowther,  but  I  do  not 
recollect  any  notice  of  its  having  been  collected 
from  a  solution  of  metals  in  acids,  and  its  character 
ascertained  before  Mr.  Maud's  experiment ;  for 
Hales,  though  he  procured  both  inflammable  and 
nitrous  air,  did  not  examine  their  properties.  But 
it  is  much  more  extraordinary  that  neither  Sir  John 
Pringle  who  was  a  Physician,  or  Mr.  Lavoisier 
V'ho  was  so  much  occupied  under  government,  re- 
specting the  Theory  of  the  formation,  and  the  prac- 
tice of  manufacturing  Saltpetre  from  Nitre  beds, 
should  not  have  known,  or  have  noticed  the  five  trea- 
tises ofMayowon  chemical,  phisiological  and  patholo- 
gical subjects,  published  a  century  preceding.  Ma- 
vow 


*  lilartyn's  abrlu lament  of  the  Pbilosopliical  transactions  v.  9. 
p. 396.  I  tliink  MaudV  expcrimtnt  in  1736  likclv  to  bave  suggested 
those  of  Mr.  Cavendish  in  1766. 


Chemistry,  &c.  225 

yow  is  quoted  by  Hales,*  by  Lcmcry,t   and  by 

Brovvn- 

•  Vegetable  Statics  v.  2-  p.  234. 

f  Mem.  de  P  Acad.  Royale  1717  p.  48.  On  ne  ditpourtant  point 
trop  sous  quelle  forme  cc  nitre  se  contient  dans  I'air,  et  Mayou,  Auteur 
Anglois  et  grand  defcnseur  du  Nitre-Aerien  voulant  eclalrclr  ccttc 
difficult^,  suppose  I'air  impregR^  par  tout  d'une  espece  ^  nitre  me- 
taphysique,  qui  ne  merite  pas  trop  d'etre  refute,  quoi-qu'il  I'iit  ce- 
pcndant  ete  suffisammcnt  par  Barchusen  et  par  Schclhamcr.  Le 
fondcment  de  I'opinion  du  Nitre  aerien,  c'est  comme  Ic  rapporte 
l^layou  lui  meme,  qu'apres  avoir  cnlevc  a  une  terre  tout  le  Nitre 
qu'cUe  contcnoit,  si  on  I'expose  en  suite  a  Vaiv  pendant  im  certain 
tcms  elle  en  reprend  de  nouveau :  il  est  ATai  que  si  I'observatioa 
etoit  pai-faitement  telle  qu'elle  vicnt  d'etre  rapportce,  on  auroitune 
plus  grande  raison  qu'onn'cn  a,  dc  stipposer  dans  I'air  une  trcs-grande 
quantitc  de  nitre,  ct  de  mettre  sur  le  compte  dc  ce  nitre  aerien  un 
grand  nombre  d'effcts  auquels  il  n'a  certainement  aucunc  p:irt. 

The  experiment  of  Lemery  mentioned  in  Dr.  Watson's  Essay  oa 
Nitre,  is  in  p.  54  of  the  Mcin.  de  I'acad.  royale  for  1717  not  for 
1731. 

It  sometimes  happeris  to  men  wliose  genius  far  transcends  the 
level  of  tlieir  da\',  to  be  frona  that  very  circumstance  neither  under* 
stood  nor  believed  by  their  conteinporaiies.  Until  the  discoveries  of 
Kicdem  diemlstry,  who  would  have  given  Sir  I^iaac  Newton  credit  for 
his  conjecture  th-^thc  Diamond  was  an  inflammable  substance  ?  The 
fcct  v.hich  Lemery  sneers  at,  the  reproduction  of  nitre  in  the  earth,  is 
©StaUiahed  beyond  contradiction  by  the  aulLyrs  quoted  by  Dr.  Wat- 


226  Appendix  No.  1. 

Brownrigg,*-  but  though  they  appear  to  have  read 
his  work,  it  is  evident  tliat  they  knew  not  how  to 
appreciate,  or  to  profit  by  it.     Halkrf  also  refers 

to 


son  (Chem.  Ess.  v.  1  p.  318— 321)  and  In  Bowl€*s  account  of  the  nitre 
Ciirlhs  in  Spain,  and  In  Andreossi's  memoir  on  the  Saltpetre  of  Egypt* 
Though  it  is  far  from  improbable  tliat  after  lixiviation  these  earths 
may  again  become  gradually  impregnated  with  putrefying  animal  or 
vegetable  matter  to  serve  for  the  future  crops  of  nitre. 

*  Philosophical  transactions  v.  55  p,  232. 

+  Dr.  Priestley  in  his  preliminary  account  of  the  discoveries  and 
thcories'on  respiration  (Exp.  on  air  v.  3  p.  356.  abridjcd  edit.")  quotes 
Haller's  threat  'vork  on  Physiology.  Haller  quotes  Mayow  in  three  or  four 
places  ;  but  it  is  no  wonder  the  quotations  did  not  strike  Dr.  Priest- 
ley with  any  curiosity  to  examine  Mayow's  book,  for  Haller  cci-tainly 
did  not  understand  his  theory.  For  instance  Lib.  8.  §  13.  Nitrum 
aereum.  Si  ad  vervim  sensum  nitrl  aerci  hypothesis  revocata  fuisset 
pai'um  utique  ab  ea  dlffert  quam  novissime  proposuimus.  Nitrum 
q\iidem  insum  incaiitiosuis  olim  Physlologi  in  acre  obvolitare  scrip- 
senmt,  et  ex  pluvii  et  nive  colli^i ;  idemque  passim  ex  rv.pibus 
efflorescere  (Sprat  ex  Hensliaw  p.  264  major  cal.  lium.)  exqu«plantis 
et  stercorlbus  educi  (Fludd  Nicwentydt,  563-4.  Mayow  de  nltro 
aereo.  Lower  de  Ctnde  c.  3.  Thurston  52.  53.  Besse  Analyse  tout 
1  et  en  lettre  en  reponse  a  M.  Hclvct.  114)  id  nitrum  auint  in  pul- 
monibus  ad  sanguincm  vciiire,  et  ab  eo  ruborcm  ilium  elcgantem,  et 
fermcntat)onen\  (Mayow,  Tliurston  penult,  ess.  T.  3  p.  265  ct  calorcm 
sanguinis  acccderc  aut  vicissim  sanguincm  condensaii. 

Certainly 


Chemistry,  &c.  227 

to  him,  and  he  is  respectfully  quoted  by  Blu men- 
bach*  :  but  his  book  nevertheless  long  remained 
in  comparative  obscurity.  From  their  time  Mayow 
has  been  neglected  until  his  UTitings  were  noticed 
by  Dr.   Forster,  in  1780,t   and  again   announced 

as 

Certainly  the  id  nitrum,  is  not  Mayow's.  M.  Rosel  seems  fii'st  to 
have  ascertained  the  existence  of  nitre  in  plants.  A  late  experiment 
of  Dr.  Priestley's,  of  which  he  gave  an  account  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
WIstar,  seems  to  make  it  probable  that  there  may  be  uitre  in  snow. 

*  Blumenbach's  Physiologj',  Caldwell's  translation,  Philadelphia,  1795. 
>5  1^2.  Speaking  of  the  theories  of  animal  heat,  "  But  all  these  hy- 
potheses are  embarrassed  with  innumerable  difficulties ;  whereas  on 
the  other  hand  the  utmost  simplicity,  and  an  entire  correspondence 
with  the  plicnomena  of  nature  combine  in  recommenduig  and  com- 
firming  that  doctrine  in  which  the  lungs  are  considered  as  the  focun 
ur  frre  place  where  animal  heat  is  generated,  and  tlie  deplogisticated 
part  of  the  air  which  we  breatlie  as  tlie  fuel  that  supports  the  vital 
tlamc.  Tliat  justly  celebrated  cliaracter  Jo.  Mayow  sketched 
out  formerly  the  leading  traces  and  the  first  great  outlines  of  this 
doctrine  \\hlch  in  our  times  has  been  greatly  improved,  extended  and 
farther  elucidated  bythelabourB  of  tlie  illustrious  Crawford." 

Dr.  Darwin  however  is  certainly  right  in  supposing  that  heat  is 
evolved  in  many  otlier  processes  of  the  unlmal  economy,  bcsido  in- 
spiration. 

t  Sec  the  transljJtior.  of  Scheele  by   Dr.  Jf'Un   Rclnbold   Forster 

irsop.  ZIII. 

In  p. 

P2 


1228  Appendix,  No.  1. 

as  almost  a  discovery  in  the  chemical  world,  by 
Dr.  Bcddoes  in  the  year  1790.  His  dot-.trines  touch 
so  nearly  on  the  subsequent  discoveries  of  Priestley, 
Scheele,  Lavoisier,  Crawford,  Goodwin,  8cc.  that  it 
seems  absolutely  necessary  to  discuss  his  pretensi- 
ons, before  those  of  his  successors  can  be  accurate- 
ly admitted.  As  I  am  acquainted  with  Dr.  Bed- 
does's  pamphlet  on  Mayow,  from  the  analytical  re- 
view of  it  only,  (V.  vi.)  and  have  no  opportunity 
here  of  consulting  it,  I  shall  take  up  Mayow 's  book, 
and  give  an  account  of  his  tenets,  from  the  work 
itself. 

Two  of  Mayovv^'s  Essays,  viz.  de  Respiratiftne 
and  dc  Rachilide,  appear  to  have  been  published  at 
Lcyden,  in  1671,  the  author  who  died  at  the  age  of 
34, being  then  26  years  old.  The  propositions  which 
I  have  thought  it  necessary  to  extract  from  Mayow's- 
work,(ed.  of  1674,  Oxford,)  and  which  I  shall  insert, 
will  give  a  concise,  but  faithful  view  of  his  dis- 
coveries 


In  p.  4*^7  of  V.  5  of  the  .".nalyllcal  review  of  Hopson's  CLeuilstry, 
before  Ur.  Beddoes's  account  of  Mayow  in  1790  t!ie  latter  Is  btated 
.IS  the  fiuthor  of  discoveries  that  iii!j?ht  have  j^i yen  vise  to  tlie  pre- 
sent  pvfcicm  of  piicunititic  Gheiiil.try.. 


Chemistry,  &c.  529 

Goveries  and  conjectures  in  pneumatic  Chemis- 
tiy.*  A  he  abridgements  of  Beddoes  and  Fourc- 
roy,  I  have  no  opportunity  to  consult,  and  as  May- 
o\v's  book  is  fur  from  being  common,  I  have  deem- 
ed ic  by  no  means  an  unnecessary  labour  to  give  the 
reader  an  opportunity  of  judging  for  himself,  what 
is  the  precise  extent  of  the  claim,  which  the  patrons 
of  Mayow's  reputation  may  fairly  set  up.  It  is  also, 
of  the  more  importance  in  a  history  of  this  subject, 
to  notice  the  pretensions  of  this  writer,  as  it  appears 
that  Boyle's  experiments  on  artificial  air,  in  his 
physico-mechanical  experiments  ^vcrc  not  made  until 
the  year  1676  et  seq.  Though  the  first  edition  of 
that  treatise  repeatedly  quoted  by  Mayow  was  in 
16G1.  IMa}'0\v's  experiments  therefore  ought  to 
have  been,  and  probably  were  known  to  Boyle  at 

the  publication  of  his  last  edition,  f 

The 

•  I  believe  Dr.  Bedcloes  gives  no  more  tlian  the  hciids  of  each 
chr.ptcr  and,  a  brief  analysis  of  the  contents.  Dr.  Beddoes  in  liis  re- 
marks on  Fourcroy'3  account  of  Mayow,  Ann.  dc  Chimie.  No.  85, 
Nicli.  Jour.  V.  3  quarto  p.  108  states  Mavow  at  the  time  of  his  death 
to  !>avc  been  only  27  and  a3  .  but  hs  was  bom  in  1645  and  died  io 
lrf>9.  Bio;,''.   Diet,  (ivo.  ed.  of  1798. 

t  I  do  not  find  tliat  Bojlc  quotes  Mayow,  though  tljcir  labours  ia 

the 


230  Appendix,  No.   1. 

The  following  is  an  analysis  of  Mayow's  essays, 
so  far  as  relates  to  his  chemical  Philosophy, 

Chap.  1^/.  Of  Nitre.  The  air  is  impregnated 
with  a  vital,  igneous,  and  highly  fermentative  spirit 
of  a  nitro-saline  nature,     p.  1. 

Nitre  is  a  salt  consisting  of  an  acid  and  an  alka- 
line part,  as  appears  by  the  Analysis,  and  by  the  ge- 
neration of  nitre  ;  for  if  this  salt  be  deflagrated  with 
sulphur,  the  acid  spirit  vi^iil  fly  oflT,  and  may  be  col- 
lected by  means  of  anibuUted  retort  and  a  receiver : 
and  so  if  it  be  deflagrated  with  tartar,  the  residuum 
will  be  equal  in  weight  to  the  tartar  employed, 
though  much  of  that,  is  of  a  foetid  oily  nature. 
This  appears  also  from  the  composition  of  nitre,  by 
the  addition  of  spirit  of  nitre  to  an  alcali,  p.  2-4. 
I'he  fixed  part  of  nitre  is  obtained  from  the  earth ; 

pure 


the  same  field  were  contemporary.  But  Boyle  in  his  hidden  qualities 
of  the  air  published  in  1674  has  an  obscn-ation  that  looks  as  if  derived 
from  Mayow.  "  And  this  undestroyed  springiness  of  the  air,  with 
the  necessity  of  fresh  air  to  the  life  of  hot  animals,  suggests  a  great 
suspicion  of  some  vital  substance  if  I  may  so  call  it,  diffused  througli 
the  air,  whether  it  be  a  volatile  niti-e  or  i-athcr  some  anonymous  sub- 
stance, sidereal  or  subteiTaneal,  thoui;li  not  improperly  of  kin  to  that 
v.liich  seems  so  necessary  to  the  niainlenance  of  other  flames." 


Chemistry,  &c7  231 

pure  earth  being  probably  a  compound  of  salt  and 
sulphur,     p.  8. 

Chap.  2d.  On  the  aereal  and  fiery  spirit  of  nitre. 
The  air  seems  to  contain  an  acid,  as  appears  from 
the  regeneration  of  vitriolic  acid  after  the  calcination 
of  Vitriol,  and  from  the  rusting  of  steel  filings  in  a 
moist  air  ;  p.  10.  A  component  part  of  the  acid  of 
nitre,  is  derived  from  the  air,  which  evidently  con- 
tains something  necessary  to  the  support  of  flame. 
But  this  aereal  pabulum  of  flame,  is  not  air  itself, 
for  air  remains  vviien  tiic  confined  taper  is  extin- 
guished: nor  is  it  as  vulgarly  supposed,  the  salt 
called  nitre,  p.  12.  But  that  these  fire-air  particles 
exist  also  in  nitre  is  evident,  since  this  salt  will  sup- 
port the  combustion  of  sulphur  in  vacuo.  Fill 
a  tube  with  gunpowder  slightly  moistened,  and  it 
will  burn  out  in  vacuo,  or  .vith  its  mouth  inverted 
over  water.  Hence  the  aereal  part  of  nitre,  is  the 
same  with  the  fire-air  particles  of  the  atmosphere, 
and  is  one  component  part  of  the  acid  spirit  of  nitre  : 
the  other  being  (like  the  fixed  part)  obtained  from 
the  earth,  p.  17.  18.  The  fiery  particles  thus  com- 
mon to  nitre  and  to  the  air,  he  denominates  nitro- 
■aercal.     It  is  these  tliat  give  causticity  to  spirit  of 

P  4  nitre, 


232  Appendix,  No.  1. 

nitre,  and  occasion  the  red  fumes  observed  m  dis- 
tilling it,  p.  18.  They  do  not  take  fire  of  them- 
selves  in  nitre,  because  they  arc  inveloped  with 
moisture  ;  but  when  combined  with  salt  of  tartai', 
and  thrown  on  the  fire  in  a  dry  state  they  inflame, 
p.  20. 

Chap.  3d.  0/  the  nature  of  the  mtro-acreal  and 
fiery  spirit.  Fire  he  conceives  to  consist  of  these  nitro- 
aereal  particles  set  in  violent  motion  by  means  of  sul- 
phureous bodies,  in  the  cases  of  culinary  fire  :  but  by 
some  other  means,  in  the  cases  of  the  solar  rays  col- 
lected by  a  burning  glass,  and  of  the  celestial 
fires.  The  corrosive  and  caustic  nature  both  of  fire 
and  nitrous  acid,  seems  to  argue  that  it  proceeds  in 
both  from  the  nitre-  lereal  particles  they  contain,  22- 
24.  That  fire  is  not  of  a  sulphureous  nature  is  evi- 
dent, for  nitre  will  not  take  fire  in  an  ignited  cruci- 
ble ;  but  oil  thrown  in,  takes  fire  immediately.  So 
if  a  piece  of  metal  be  held  over  a  candle,  the  fire  par- 
ticles pass  through  the  metal,  but  the  sulphureous 
sjnoke  adheres  to  the  under  side.     p.  27. 

That  the  heat  occasioned  by  a  burning  glass,  con- 
sists of  these  nitro-aereal  particles  is  evident,  for 
diaphoretic  antimony  may  be  made,  either  first  by 

calcina- 


Chemistry,  fkt.  <233 

calcination  with  a  lens,  or  secondly,  by  the  repeated 
affusion  of  nitrous  acid,  or  thirdly,  by  the  dcflugration 
of  nitre  on  the  antimony.  Diaphoretic  antimony 
made  by  calcination,  increases  on  weight,*  by 
means  of  the  nitro-aereal  particles  fixed  in  it  by  the 
process,     p.  28.  29. 

Chap.  4M.  On  the  origin  of  acid  I/guors,  and 
the  earthy  part  of  Spirits  of  nitre.  From  p.  34, 
it  appears  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the  absorption 
and  combination  of  his  nitro-aereal  particles  in  the 
vitriolic  acid,  during  the  combustion  of  sulphur, 
but  explains  the  whole  mechanically  by  thx  sa- 
line portion  of  the  sulphur  being  broken  down 
into  minute  pointed  particles,  by  the  violent  attrition 
of  the  nitro-aereal  particles,  and  so  becoming  fluid 
and  sharpened.  He  seems  too,  not  to  k^o^v  that 
the  cokothar  of  martial  vitriol  is  no  component 
part  of  sulphur,  p.  37.     The  same  mechanical  ex- 

plana-; 

*  It  n-as  first  observed  by  John  Rcy  in  1630  that  metals  calcmrd, 
jain  weiglit  by  the  absorption  of  air.  Sec  an  account  of  his  book  by 
M.  Bayen  Journ.  de  Rozicr  ^1775  v.  1  p.  48.  There  are  also  some 
experiments  by  Boyle  that  shew  the  accession  of  weight  on  the  cal- 
cination of  metals,  but  he  does  not  seem  aware  of  the  tlxeorj-.  Shaw'« 
Boyle,  Fire  and  Flame  weighed  v.  2  p.  39 1-,  £cc. 


234  Appendix,  No.  1. 

planation  he  applies  to  the  formation  of  the  ligneous 
acids,  and  to  the  impregnation  of  the  caput  mortuum 
or  colcothar  of  vitriol,  w  ith  fresh  acid  by  exposure 
of  au-.  In  the  succeeding  paragraph,  p.  39,  he  sup- 
poses that  marchasite  (martial  pyrites)  imbibes  the 
nitro-aereal  pai-ticles  from  the  atmosphere,  and  thus 
acid  is  formed.  In  like  manner  he  explains  the  for- 
mation of  acids  produced  by  fermentation,  by  the 
collision  between  the  nitro-aereal,  and  the  sulphureo- 
saline  particles  of  the  mass.  p.  41.  So  also  he 
supposes  nitrous  acid  to  be  produced  by  the  deten. 
tion  of  his  nitro-aereal  particles  by  the  terrene  saline 
.particles  found  in  the  earth,  p.  43.  Hence  he  con- 
cludes generally,  p.  43,  that  acid  salts  are  formed 
from  a  saline  basis  brought  into  fusion  or  fluidity 
by  the  nitio-aereal  part  of  the  air :  and  sums  up  his 
theory  of  nitre,  by  stating  it  to  be  a  triple  salt,  com- 
posed of  nitro-aereal  particles,  united  to  a  terrene 
basis  forming  the  acid,  which  then  unites  to  the  fixed 
basis,  supplied  also  by  the  earth. 

Chap.    5th.      On   Fermentation.      He  gives  in 
this  chapter  his  theory  of  fermentation,  as  arising 
from  the  conflict  of  his  nitro-aereal  principle  A\'hich 
Rethinks  may  be  termed  mercury,  and  tl^e  sulphure- 
ous 


Chemistry,  &c.    '  235 

ous  principle  :  evidentl}^  meaning  by  the  latter,  the 
Phlogiston  of  Stahl :  and  he  states  broadly,  p.  60. 
that  pure  sulphur  can  never  admit  of  accension, 
but  by  means  of  the  nitro-aereal  particles  obtained 
from  the  atmosphere.  The  rest  of  his  reasoning  in 
this  chapter,  does  not  seem  deserving  of  further 
notice. 

Chap.  6//z.  On  the  n'ltro- acred  spirit  as  the 
cause  of  rigidity  and  elasticity.  These  he  ex- 
plains by  the  fixation  and  state  of  his  nitro-aereal 
particles  in  bodies  endowed  with  these  proper- 
ties. In  p.  69  he  endeavours  to  account  why 
boiled  water  freezes  sooner  than  that  ^\'hich  has  not 
been  boiled ;  a  fact  which  Dr.  Black  has  made  the 
subject  of  a  paper  in  the  45th  vol.  of  the  Philosophi- 
cal transactions.  But  his  reasonings  throughout 
tliis  chapter  are  not  calculated  to  add  to  his  reputa- 
tion, or  to  the  mass  of  knowledge  of  the  present 
day. 

Chap.  1th.  The  ehistic  force  of  the  Air  de- 
pends on  its  nitro-aereal  particles.  In  what  way 
exhausted  air  is  reimpregnated  with  them.  Of 
the  elements  of  Heat  and  Cold.  This  chapter 
contains   experiments   to  shew  that  the  elasticity 

of 


ti36  AfPENDix,  No.  1. 

of  the   air  is   owing  to  the  nitro-aereal    particles 
contained  in  it :  which   may  l^e  destroyed  by   the 
burning    of  a  candle    or   other   combustible  sub* 
stances,    and    also    by  the   breathing   of  animals. 
When  the  atmospheric  air  contained  in  a  glass  jar 
i^^'erted  o\er  water,  will  no  longer  support  flame 
or  animal  life,  the  water  rises  in  the  jar,  owing  to 
the  diminished  elasticity  of  the  air,  not  being  able  to 
counteract  the  pressure  of  the  suri'ounding  atmos- 
phere on  the  water  p.  100.     He  finds  p.  101  that 
the  diminution  by  burning  a  taper  in  a  given  quan- 
tity of  the  air,  is  about  one  thirtieth  of  the  whole, 
and  Ly  the  breathing   of  mice  and  other  animals, 
about  one  fourteenth.     Thence  he  concludes  p.   iOG 
that  by  means  of  respiration  the  elastic  part  of  the 
iiir  enters  into  the  blood,  and  that  the  sole  use  of 
the  lungs  is  not  as  some  suppose,  to  break  down  the 
blood  in  its  passage  into  very  minute  particles.  That 
combustion  and  respiraiiou  have  similar  effects  on 
atmospherical  air,  he  concludes,  p.  108,  from  the 
fact,  that  a  candle  and  a  small  animal  inclosed  toge- 
ther in  a  glass  jar  over  water,  the  one  will  not  bum, 
nor  the  oliicr  remain  alive  above  half  the  time  that 
they  would  if  alone.     Mayow  however,  did  not  con- 
sider 


Chemistpy,  &c.  237 

eider  his  nitro- igneous  and  elastic  particles  to  be  ci- 
ther pure  air,  or  even  a  component  part  of  the  com- 
mon air,  as  air,  notwithstanding  the  ambiguity  of 
the  passages  in  p.  114  and  118  ;  but  as  particles  of 
a  different  nature,  attached  to  and  fixed  in  the  atmos- 
pheric particles  ;  a'.^.d  detached  fexcussasj  by  the 
means  above  mentioned,  p.  118  and  121.  His  ex- 
planation of  elasticity  generally  in  this  chap,  and  of 
the  difiiculty  ajii;ing  from  the  obvious  resistance  to 
the  Atmosphere,  and  the  expansibilitv  of  the  air  in 
which  a  taper  has  been  extinguislied,  or  an  anima! 
died,  seem  too  obscure  and  unintelligible  to  merit 
transcribing.  It  is  evident  however  upon  the  who!c 
from  p.  123  compared  with  p.  100  and  135  that  he 
•conceived  tlic  diminution  of  such  air  to  arise  from 
diminislied  elasticity,  but  he  supposes  it  to  be  den- 
ser than  common  air  123.  In  a  subsequent  part 
of  this  chapter  p.  128  et  seq.  he  states  his  tliecry  of 
the  manner  in  whicii  deteriorated  air  recovers  its 
loss,  viz.  that  the  nitro-aereal  particles  being  lighter 
than  tliC  atmospherical,  float  abundantly  in  the  higher 
regians  -,  and  that  the  part  of  the  atmosphere  depriv- 
ed of  them  below,  being  forced  upward  by  die 
pressure  of  tlic  atmosphere  above,  obtains  a  renewal 

of 


258  Appendix,  No.  1.' 

of  tliese  particles  by  mixture  with  the  strata  where 
they  abound. 

The  element  of  fire,  he  supposes  to  reside  in  the 
body  of  the  Sun,  which  is  no  other  than  a  mass  of 
nitro-aereal  particles  driven  in  perpetual  gyration 
with  immense  velocity.  Cold,  which  he  considers 
as  some  thing  positive  (p.  130)  he  thinks  consists  in 
these  particles  assuming  a  pointed  form,  and  moving 
not  in  gyration  but  strait  forward.  Much  of  his  rea- 
soning indeed  throughout  the  book,  savours  greatly 
of  the  mechanical  and  corpuscular  philosophy  ^pre- 
valent in  his  day. 

Chap.  8M.  On  the  nltro-aereal spirit  as  inspir^ 
ed  by  animals.  Formerly  he  thought  that  in  respi- 
ration the  nitro-aereal  particles  were  rubbed  or  sha- 
ken off  {atterere,  excutere  146)  from  the  common 
air  by  the  action  of  the  lungs,  at  present  he  thinks 
the  air  itself  enters  the  mass  of  the  blood,  is  there 
deprived  of  these  particles,  and  of  part  of  its  elasticity. 
To  prove  this  he  produces  an  experiment  of  the  di- 
minution of  air  by  the  vapours  from  iron  dissolved  in 
nitrous  acid:  but  the  beautiful  deductions  of  Dr. 
Priestley  from  a  similar  experiment,  never  occurred 
to  him;    on  the  contrary  he  expre&sly. states  that  jt 

is 


Chemistry,  Sec.  239 

Is  an  Aura,  but  not  Air  p.  145  and  though  after- 
ward in  chap.  9  p.  163,  164  he  incUnes  to  doubt, 
yet  again  in  p.  168  he  denies  it  that  character. 

In  p.  146  he  proceeds  to  state  the  uses  of  these 
nitro-aereal  particles,  vvliich  (147)  he  considers  as 
the  principle  of  life  and  motion  both  m  animals  and 
vegetal  ^les.  By  the  mutual  dction  of  the  nitro-aereal, 
with  the  sulphnreo-saline  particles  contained  in  the 
blood,  a  fermentation  is  excited  necessary  to  animal 
life,  and  to  the  warm  fluid  circulation  of  the  biood 
{ad sanguinis  astum.)  To  dicse  particles  imbibed 
from  the  air,  he  attributes  the  difference  in  colour  be- 
tween the  venous  and  arterial  blood;  and  he  shews 
this,  from  the  numerous  air  bubbles  arising  in  an 
exhausted  receiver  from  warm  arterial  blood  :  but 
his  experiment  to  illustrate  the  difference,  from  die 
colour  produced  by  the  niti'ous  acid  with  vol,  alk. 
seems  very  litUc  to  the  purpose  p.  150. 

To  the  fermentation  arising  from  this  mixture  (rf 
nitro-aereal  particles  with  the  blood,  he  ascribes  am- 
mal  heat,  and  accounts  satisfac  Lorily  for  the  increased 
heat  of  the  body  during  strong  exercise,  from  the 
more  freciucnt  inspirations  occasioned  by  the  exerti- 
on (p.  1S2,  SOfi :)   but  his  replies  to  the  objections 

of 


240  Appendix,  No.  1. 

of  Dr.  Willis,  drawn  from  the  phenomena  offer- 
menting  mixtures,  aie  very  inconclusive. 

Chap.  9///.  JVhetlier  air  can  he  generated  ancuj. 
He  repeats  the  experiment  of  dissolving  iron  in  dilute 
nitrous  acid,  and  finds  that  though  some  of  the  va- 
pour be  absorbed,  a  portion  still  remains  unconden- 
sible  even  by  severe  cold.  On  substituting  dilute 
vitr.  for  nitr.  acid  he  finds  an  aura  which  is  hardly 
absorbed  or  condensed  at  all.  Hence  he  doubts 
\\'hether  these  aurae  be  not  entitled  to  the  appellation 
of  air,  especially  as  by  subsequent  experiment  he 
shews  that  they  are  equally  expansible  ^^'ith  common 
air.  In  making  this  last  experiment  he  exhibits  the 
method  of  transferring  air  from  one  vessel  to  another 
(Tab.  5.  Fig.  5.)  much  in  the  manner  afterwards 
described  by  Mr.  Cavendish  in  1766.*  From  the 
inability  of  these  aurse  to  support  animal  life  (Tab.  5. 
fig.  G.)  he  concludes  finally  that  they  are  not  air, 
though  not  very  dissimilar  p.  171.  The  succeed- 
ing five  chapters  do  not  seem  to  contain  any  facts  or 
conjectures  that  can  add  to  Mayow's  reputation. 

His 


*  Boyle  had   invented  an   spparatus  for  ti-ansferring  air  from  one 
rer.civer  of  an  alr-puinp  to  another,  but  not  under  watar. 


Chemistry,  Sec.  241 

His  Hypotheses  are  completely  superceded  by  tlic 
more  accurate  knowledge  of  the  present  day.  In 
his  tract  on  quick  lime  p.  225  he  seems  to  have 
forestalled  the  acidum  pingue  of  Dr.  Meyer  publish- 
ed exactly  a  century  afterward.  It  may  be  noted 
that  in  his  treatise  on  the  Bath  waters  p.  259,  he  de- 
scribes fishes  as  collecting  vital  air  from  the  water, and 
respiring  like  land  animals.  (Aereum  aliquod  vitale 
ab  aqua,  velati  alias  ab  aura  secretum  et  in  cruoris 
massam  trajiciatur.)  The  air  bladder  he  considers 
rather  as  a  reservoir  of  air  to  be  inspired,  than  a  re- 
ceptacle for  excreted  air  ;  though  the  latter  opinion 
is  made  probable  by  Dr.  Priestley.* 

The  first  part  of  his  Treatises  on  Respiration  is 
is  chiefly  anatomical.  In  p.  300  et  seq.  he  states 
more  fully  his  opinion,  that  vital  air,  is  of  a  nitro- 
saline  nature  :  that  it  is  the  principle  of  life,  both  \\\ 
Animals  and  Vegetables :  that  combined  with  the 
sulphureo-saline  particles  in  the  blood,  it  is  the  sti- 
mulus to  the  muscular  fibre,  and  of  course  to  the 

heart 


•  See  Nlch.  Journ.  y.  3  p.  119  on  the  probabUlty  of  fishes  »op;ir;Uing 
oxygen  from  the  water  Uiey  inhabit. 


242  ArrENDi-x,  No.   1. 

heart  as  a  muscle,  p.  C05  ;  but  that  the  fcnnrntatidn 
ccca^/ioncd  by  the    introduction   of  these  particles 

into  the  bleed,  is  not  confined  to  the  left  ventricle 
of  the  heart,  but  commences,  in  the  passage  of  the 

blood  through  the  lungs,  and  continues  in  the  Ar. 
teries.     I'his  evidently  approaches  the  theory,  ad- 

vanced  by  Dr.  Goodwyn  in  his  tract  on  the  Connec- 
tion  of  life  v.ith  respiration  about  sixteen  years 
ago,  '«'iz.  that  the  pure  air  combined  with  the  blood 
is  tiie  stimulus  to  the  left  ventricle  of  the  heart, 
and  produces  the  alternate  contraction,  and  dilation 
on  w  hich  the  circulation  depends.  Dr.  Lower,  in 
his  treatise  dc  motu  sanguinis,  and  Fracassati,  and 
Dr.  Frederick  SLire  attributed  the  change  of  the  co- 
lour of  venous  blood  into  a  florid  red,  to  the  combina- 
tion of  the  air  with  it.  Lower  I  believe  preceded 
Mayow,  who  quotes  him,  p.  148;  the  date  of  Fra- 
cassati's  and  Dr.  Slarc's  observations^  I  have  not 
been  able  to  ascertain,  but  thev  must  have  been 
near  the  time  of  JMayow.  Lowth.  Ai).  v.  iii.  p. 
237. 

In  his  third  treatise  on  respiration,  he  explains  the 
Animal  ceconcmy  of  the  fcetus  in  utero,  by  suggest- 
ing that  the  foetus  is  supplied  by  the  placenta,  not 

M  ith 


Chemistry,  8cc.  £43 

with  venous,  but  with  arterial  blood  brou.^jLt  by 
the  umbiUcal  Arteries;  so  that  the  required  stimu- 
lus of  the  nitro-aereal  particles  being  thus  conveyed, 
supercedes  the  necessity  of  the  lungs  for  the  purpose. 
This  he  ingeniously  illustrates  by  the  known  expe- 
riment, that  a  dog  into  whom  arterial  blood  is  infus- 
ed, though  respiring  with  great  difficulty  before, 
hardiy  respires  at  all.  A  similar  theory  he  applies 
to  the  life  of  the  chick  in  ovo.  This  treatise  seems 
to  have  suggested  Dr.  Beddoes's  illustration  of  his 
theory  of  consumption  from  the  state  of  pregnancy. 

In  a  subsequent  Essay  on  animal  spirits,  he  con- 
ceives them  to  be,  if  not  the  same  with  the  nitro-aere- 
al part  of  the  atmosphere,  yet  to  consist  of  this,  so 
far  as  they  are  necessary  to  the  production  of  muscu- 
lar motion,  which  he  attributes  entirely  as  before  to 
nitro-aereal  particles,  p.  24  and  40,  of  chap.  4,  on  the 
animal  spirits, 

I  do  not  observe  any  thing  else  in  iNIayow's  book 
worth  noting  on  the  present  occasion  ;  or  sufiicicnt- 
ly  connected  with  pneumatic  Chemistr}-. 

From  tl.c  anal}  sis  thus  given  of"^'  uhat  Mayow 

has 

*  At  tlic  time  tills  wa^v.  nttcii  nealier   Dv,  Uoslock's  t;  «-.use  on 

respirt- 

Q2 


244  Appendix,  No.  1. 

has  advanced,  it  appears,  that  he  clearly  comprehend- 
ed the  atmosphere  to  consist  of  a  mixture  of  two 
parts,  the  one  the  eflicient  cause  of  hfe  and  of  com- 
bustion, the  other  not  of  itself  necessary  to  either. 

That  the  vital  part  of  the  air,  was  also  a  constituent 
part  of  nitre,  the  effects  of  both  being  in  essential 
particulars  the  same.* 

That  the  vital  part  of  the  atmosphere  entering  the 
blood  through  the  vessels  in  the  lungs,  is  conveyed 
to  the  left  ventricle  of  the  heart,  and  becomes  the 
stimulus  to  the  contractions  of  that  muscle,  and  is 
equally  essential  to  the  whole  system  of  muscular 

contraction. 

That 


respiration  or  the  books  therein  quoted  p.  200  had  arrived  here. 
Nor  have  I  had  an  opportunity  of  consulting  the  references  there 
made  to  Prof.  Robinson,  Dr.  Thompson,  Dr.  Yeates,  or  Foui-croy'« 
account  of  Mayow. 

*  Mr.  Ray  wote  "  A  dissertation  (in  1696)  about  respiration,"  in 
wiiich  he  supposes  the  air  to  pass  from  the  bronchia  and  kings  into 
the  substance  of  the  blood,  and  there  (pabuli  instar)  it  foments  and 
maintains  the  vital  flame  which  he  supposes  to  be  in  the  sulphureouf 
parts  of  the  blood,  as  the  air  foments  the  common  flame  of  a  candle, 
»nd  th;  t  the  nitre  has  notUing  to  do vivh  it.  Se©  Dwhara'a  coUecU«n 
of  Ray's  kttcrs. 


Chemistry,  Sec.  245 

That  the  vital  part  of  the  atmosphere  thus  com- 
bined with  the  blood  becomes  also  the  source  of 
animal  heat. 

That  this  vital  part  is  equally  necessary  to  the  foe- 
tus in  utero  as  to  the  adult,  and  that  the  use  of  the 
lungs  in  the  former  case  is  superceded  by  the  func- 
tions of  the  umbilical  artery  and  placenta ;  by  means 
of  which,  blood  already  impregnated  with  the  vital 
air,  is  conveyed  to  the  foetus. 

That  the  respiration  of  fishes,  is  dependant  on  the 
particles  of  air  mixed  with  watery  elemeot  they  in- 
habited. 

That  heat,  flame,  and  combustion,  depend  on  two 
universal  principles,  and  the  gentleness  or  violence 
of  their  mutual  conflict :  the  one  being  a  principle 
of  inflammability  universally  diffused  in  combusti- 
ble bodies,  and  the  other  the  vital  or  igneous  part  of 
the  atmosphere. 

These  propositions  evidently  touch  upon  the  most 
brilliant  of  tlie  pneumatic  discoveries  of  the  authors 
already  quoted  ;  and  not  a  little  extraordinary  it  is, 
that  they  should  have  remained  so  long  unknown, 
unnoticed,  and  not  understood. 

The  sulphur  of  Mayow  is  decidedly  the  Phlogis- 
Q  3  ton 


546  Appendix  No.  1. 

ton  of  Stahl ;  the  fire  air  of  the  former  is  the  fire  air 
of  Scheele,  the  dephlogisticatcd  air  of  Priestley,  and 
the  Oxygen  of  Lavoisier. 

The  combination  of  oxygen  Avith  the  blood  by 
means  of  respiration,  first  discovered  as  was  thought 
b}'  Lavoisier,  is  clearly  stated  by  Mayow ;  who  has- 
also  forestalled  the  elaborate  theories  of  Crawford  on 
animal  heat,  of  Goodwyn,  on  muscular  stimulus, 
and  of  Bcddoes  on  the  succedaneum  for  respiration  in 
the  fojtus. 

-    Bo  vie,  thourrh  lie   must  certainly  ha^'C  known  of 
Mayow,  neither  quotes  him,  nor  uses,  or  improves 
on  his  experiments  ;  though  as  I  have  aheadyremai'k- 
ed,  he  seems  to  have  had  notions  of  the  atmosphere 
much  like  thooC    adopted  by  Mayow.      Whether 
this  neglect  arose  from  the  pride  of  birtl::,  or  the  pride 
of  knowledge,  or  the  pride  of  age,  (for  Boyle  was  al- 
most twice  the  age  of  Mayow)  or  from  jealousy  of 
Mayow's  abilities,  cannot  now  be  ascertained.  From 
that  time  until  Hales  published  his  statics  in  1726, 
pneumatic  experiments  were  neglected,  and  the  ma- 
thematical  philosophy'whlch  Newton's  discoveries 
rendered  fashionable,   absorbed  for  many  years  the 
attention  of  men  of  Science.  ;[  :;rticularly  in  England. 

The 


Chemistry,  5cc.  247 

Tlic  way  in  which  Lcmcry,  Hales  and  Brovvnrigg 
speak  of  JMayow,  evidcntl}-  shews  that  his  theories 
were  not  understood,  nor  his  merits  appreciated.. 

That  Mayow  was  unknown  to  Black  and  Ca\en- 
dish  until  of  late  years,  is  highly  probable  at  least, 
if  not  absolutely  certain.  Neither  these  philoso- 
phers, nor  Dr.  Priestley,  could  have  passed  over 
Meyow's  book,  without  being  struck  with  his  ideas, 
and  publicly  referring  to  diem  in  their  chemical 
works. 

That  Dr.  Priestley  was  unacquainted  wuth  Ma}-- 
o\v  is  certain,  from  the  limited  extent  of  his  reading 
at  the  early  period  of  his  experiments  (from  1770 
to  177G  or  1777,)  in  books  of  chemistry  and  theore- 
tic physiology  :  from  Mayow,  not  being  quoted  by 
any  of  the  w  riters  w  hose  works  Dr.  Priestlvy  w  ould 
be  likely  to  consult  except  Ilulcb  and  Brownrigg, 
and  not  by  them  in  a  manner  to  induce  any  farther 
curiosity  r  from  their  bcir.g  ifnnoticcd  by  Eiack, 
Cavendish,  Sir.  John  Piingle,  and  Lavoisier,  in  par- 
ticular :  from  the  custom  that  Dr.  Priestley  had  of 
acknowledging  the  sources  of  his  ideas  in  all  cases 
w  here  they  originated  iiom  the  discoveries  of  others, 
us  in  hisj^cfcrenccs  to  Hales,  Brownrigg,  Cuwndislv 

Q  4  See  ; 


248  Appendix,  No.  1. 

&c  ;  and  from  his  making  no  mention  of  Mayow  in 
his  express  account  of  the  labours  of  his  predeces- 
sors on  the  subject  of  animal  respiration.  That 
both  he  and  Sir  John  Pringle  before  the  Royal  So- 
ciety in  1772  and  1776  should  expressly  treat  the 
history  of  discoveries  in  which  Ma3^ow  bore  so  dis- 
tinguished a  part,  and  omit  noticing  liim  altogether, 
had  they  known  of  his  works,  is  incredible.  It  is 
evident  that  he  was  then  an  obscure  writer,  and  not 
jn  repute,  or  he  would  have  occurred  to  them  ;  or 
some  of  their  philosophical  friends  would  have  sug- 
gested the  propriety  of  referring  to  his  publications. 
Neither  is  it  likely  that  Scheelc  would  have  been 
acquainted  with  Mayow's  writings,  though  it  is 
singular  that  he  escaped  the  notice  of  Lavoisier  who 
I  believe  was  employed  under  government  in  the 
collection  of  essays  on  the  theory  and  manufacture  of 
saltpetre  and  in  ths  superintendance  of  the  saltpetre 
works,  especially  as  Mayow  was  mentioned  though 
disrespectfully  by  Lemery,  in  his  paper  on  nitre  be- 
fore referred  to.  But  there  certainly  is  no  evidence 
that  Lavoisier  obtained  his  ideas  of  oxygen  and  its 
combination  with  the  blood  from  Mayow,  or  his 
theoiy  of  metallic  calcinrition  from  Jean  Rey,  though 

hia^ 


Chemistry,  5cc.  249 

his  obligations  to  Dr.  Priestley  have  not  been  always 
acknowledged  with  the  candour  and  liberality  that 
men  of  science  would  expect  from  Lavoisier. 

Mayovv  had  more  than  ordinary  discemment  in 
comparing  known  facts,  and  drawing  conclusions 
from  them,  but  he  docs  not  appear  to  have  had  the 
talent  of  imagining  decisive  experiments,  of  varying 
them,  of  observing  and  noting  all  the  natural  pheno- 
mena attendant  upon  them,  or  biifficient  industry  in 
pursuing  them.  It  is  one  thing  to  make  a  plausible 
conjecture,  and  another  to  verify  it.  Those  alone  arc 
entitled  to  the  honour  of  discoveries  who  not  mere- 
ly start  the  theory,  but  take  die  pains  of  pursuing  it  by 
experiments  and  resting  it  on  the  basis  of  well  con- 
ceived and  accurately  ascertained  facts,  sufficiently 
numerous  and  varied  to  obviate  the  most  prominent 
objections.  Mayow  has  reasoned  with  great  acute- 
ncss  and  conjectured  with  singular  felicity,  but  he 
added  little  to  the  mass  of  philosophical  knowledge 
in  his  day.  He  composed  and  decomposed  nitre 
and  ascertained  the  existence  of  vital  air  in  this  sub- 
stance  as  well  as  in  the  atmosphere,  but  he  did  not 
collect,  exhibit,  and  examine  it.  He  knew  how  to 
make  artificial  air  from  nitrous  acid  and  iron,  but  all 

the 


250  Appendix,  No.  1. 

the  extraordinary  properties  of  this  gas,  remained 
unobserved  b}'  him  as  well  as  by  others  until  eollect- 
ed  and  imprisoned  by  Dr.  Priestley,  and  exposed  to 
the  question  under  his  scrutinizing  eye.  Indeed  as 
an  experimentalist  Dr.  Priestley  stands  unrivalled. 
The  multiplicity  of  his  experiments,  their  ingenuity, 
their  bearings  upon  the  point  in  question,  their  ge- 
reral  importance,  and  their  fidelity,  ^vere  nevei' 
equalled  upon  tlic  whole,  before  or  since.  Nor  is  it 
any  detraction  from  their  raerit  with  those  who  are 
accustomed  to  experiment,  that  they  hold  out  no 
pretensions  to  thiit  suspicious  accuracy,  which  hasi 
too  often  depended  more  upon  arithmetical  calcula- 
tions than  upon  actual  wciglit  and  measure.  The 
many  kinds  cf  aeriform  fluids  discovered  by  Dr. 
Priestlev,  the  many  methods  of  procuring  them,  the 
skilful!  investigation  of  their  properties,  the  founda- 
tion he  laid  ior  tne  labours  of  others,  the  simplicity, 
the  novelty,  the  neatness,  and  the  cheapness  of  his 
apparatus,  and  his  unequalled  industry,  have  de- 
servedly placed  him  at  the  head  of  pneumatic  Che- 
mistry. Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that  while  he 
taus  outstripped  his  predecessors  and  contemporai-ics 
in  the  field  of  expciimcnt,  it  forjiicd  not  as  with 

them 


Chemistry,  Sec.  251 

them  tlie  business  of  his  life,  but  (among  other  bran- 
ches of  literature  and  philosophy  successfully  eulti- 
A-atcd)  tlie  occupation  of  his  leisure  l^iours,  the  rclaxa 
tion  from  what  he  deemed  more  important,  more  la- 
borious, and  more  obligatory  pursuits. 

Before  his  time  (excluding  Mayow)  Boyle  had 
discovered  diat  air  might  be  generated,  fatal  to  ani- 
mal  life.  It  was  kno^n  that  common  air  would  on» 
\y  ser^e  a  certain  time  for  the  purposes  of  combusti- 
on and  respiration.  The  mephitic  exhalations  from 
natural  Grottoes  had  been  remarked.  Inflammable 
air  both  natural  and  artificial  had  been  exhibited  be* 
fore  the  royal  society.  Hales  had  ascertained  the 
presence  of  air  in  a  great  number  of  substances  where 
it  was  not  commonly  suspected  though  he  had  not 
tlie  skill  to  examine  the  properties  of  the  air  produced. 
Black  had  ascertained  the  presence  of  fixed  air  in 
limestone,  and  Bro\\  nrigg,  Lane,  and  Vend  had  il- 
lustrated the  theory  of  mineral  waters.  But  it  was 
the  paper  of  Cavendish  in  1766  on  fixed  and  inflam- 
mable air  produced  from  various  substances  by 
means  of  acids,  fermentation  and  putrefaction,  that 
first  introduced  a  stile  of  experimenting  in  pneumatic 
chemistry,  more  neat,   more  precise,  and  scientific 

than  had  hidierto  been  known. 

The 


252  Appendix,  No.  1. 

The  attention  of  Dr.  Priestley  however  to  these 
subjects  was  not  originally  excited  by  the  works  of 
his  predecessors,  but  by  the  accidens  of  his  proxlmi- 
t}'  to  a  brew-house  at  Leeds,  where  of  course  fixed 
air  (a  subject  that  had  attracted  much  attention  about 
that  time)  would  be  produced  in  a  large  A\ay.     It 
was  thus  that  one  experiment  led  to  another,  until 
the  fruits  of  his  amusements  were  the  discoveries  on 
which  his  philosophical   reputation    is    principally 
founded.     It  is  no  more  than  justice  to  his  character 
to  mention  in  this  place,  that  of  all  men  living  he  was 
the  fi-eest  from  literary  deception  and  the  vanity  of 
authorship.     He  never  claims  the  merit  of  profound 
investigation  or  great  foresight,  for  discoveries  that 
might  easily  have  been  so  stated  as  if  they  had  been 
the  pure  result  of  those  qualifications,  but  which 
were  in  reality  the  offspring  of  accident  and  circum- 
stance.    He  excites  others  to  patient  labour  in  the 
field  of  experiment,  from  observing  that  success  does 
not  depend  so  nuich  on  great  abihties  or  extensive 
knowledge,  as  on  patient  attention,  and  perseverance; 
and  that  much  of  his  own  reputation  was  owing  to 
the  discovery  of  facts  that  arose  in  the  course  of  his 
pursuits,  the  result  of  no  previous  theory,  unlocked 

for 


Chemistry,  8cc.  253 

for  and  unexpected.  In  v.  3  p.  282  of  his  experi- 
ments on  air  he  says  "  Few  persons  I  believe  have 
"  met  with  so  much  unexpected  good  success  as 
*'  myself  in  the  course  of  my  philosopliical  pursuits. 
"  My  narrative  will  shew  that  the  first  hints  at  least 
"  of  almost  every  thing  that  I  have  discovered  of 
**  much  importance  have  occurred  to  me  in  this 
"  manner.  In  looking  for  one  thing  I  have  gencral- 
"  found  another,  and  sometimes  a  thing  of  much 
"  more  value  than  that  which  I  was  in  quest  of. 
*'  But  none  of  these  unexpected  discoveries  appear 
*'  to  mc  to  have  been  so  extraordinary  as  that  I  ara 
*'  about  to  relate  (viz.  the  spontaneous  emission  of 
**  dephlogisticated  air  from  water  containing  a  greea 
'*  vegetating  matter)  and  it  may  serve  to  admonish 
*' all  persons  who  are  engaged  in  similar  pursuits, 
*'  not  to  overlook  any  circumstance  relating  to  an 
"  experiment,  but  to  keep  their  eyes  open  lo  every 
"  new  appearance  and  to  give  due  attention  to  it 
*'  however  inconsiderable  it  may  seem."*  To  this 
candour  o(   disposition,    and    the    readiness    with 

which 


*   Sec  idto  Uie   Ist,  vol.  of  Itis  eail\  ediUon  of  experiment*  on  air 


254  Appendix,  No.  1. 

whiclihcacknowledgedhismistakesandhisovcrsights, 
even  those  who  opposed  his  opinions  bear  honoura- 
ble testimony.  "  The  celebrated  Priestley  himself 
"  (says  M.  Berthollet  in  his  reply  to  Kir  wan  on 
*'  Phlogiston  p.  124  of  the  Eng.  translation)  often 
"  sets  us  the  example,  by  rectif}  irg  the  results  of 
*'  some  of  his  numerous  experiments." 

Numerous  indeed  those  experiments  were  as 
well  as  important:  far  too  numerous  to  be  parti- 
cularised here ;  though  it  may  not  be  improper  to 
call  to  the  recollection  of  the  reader  some  of  the 
more  interesting  facts  which  we  owe  to  Dr.  Priest, 
ley,  and  the  times  of  their  discovery  and  commu- 
nication. 

The  first  of  his  publications  on  pneumatic  che- 
mistry was  in  1772,  announcing  the  method  of  im- 
pregnating water  with  fixed  air,  and  on  the  j)repara- 
tion  and  medicinal  uses  of  artificial  mineral  waters ; 
a  discovery  that  domesticated  much  of  the  know- 
ledge that  had  heretofore  been  disclosed  only  in  the 
works  of  learned  societies;  and  that  beautifully 
exemplified  how  much  of  the  health  and  the  pleasure 
of  common  life,  might  depend  on  the  ingenious  re- 
searches of  men  of  science.     Though  this  v.as  the 

first 


CifEMisTny,  &c.  255 

first  publication  of  Dr.  Priestley  on  the  chemistry  df 
the  airs,  he  Inid  certainly  commenced  his  experi- 
ments in  this  branch  of  Science,  soon  after  his  arrival 
at  Leeds,  and  as  early  at  least,  ay  1768.  In  the 
year  1771  he  had  already  procured  good  air  from 
saltpetre  ;  he  had  ascertained  the  use  of  ap-itation, 
and  of  vegltation  as  the  means  employed  by  nature 
in  purifying  the  atmosphere  destined  to  the  support 
of  animal  life,  and  that  air  \  itiated  by  animal  respi- 
ration was  a  pabulum  to  vegetable  life;  he  had 
procured  faclitious  air  in  a  much  greater  variety  of 
•ways  than  had  been  kno^^•n  before,  and  he  had  been 
in  the  habit  of  substituting  quickrsilver  in  lieu  of  water, 
"for  the  puqwse  of  many  of  his  experiments.  In  his 
paper  before  the  Royal  Society,  in  the  spring  of  1772, 
which  deservedly  obtained  him  the  honour  of  tlie 
Copley  Medal,  he  gives  an  account  of  these  disco- 
veries. In  the  same  paper  lie  announces  the  disco- 
very of  that  singular  fluid  nitrous  air,* and  its  beau- 
tiful 

•  Honestly  rcfeniiig  to  Dr.  Hales  and  Mr.  Cavendish  for  any  idea 
that  niij^'it  have  remotely  led  to  this  discovery  (See  Obs.  on  air  1st 
•d.  V.  1  p.  108)  tlip  d'scovcvy  however  was  completely  his  own. 

Dr.  PricsUcy  seems  always  to  liare  thought  nitrous  air  as  conveni- 
ent 


256  Appendix,  No.  1. 

liful  application  as  a  test  of  the  purity  or  fitness  for 
respiration  of  airs  generally.  In  the  same  paper  he 
shews  the  use  of  a  burning  lens  in  pneumatic  ex- 
periments ,  he  relates  tlie  discovery  and  properties 
of  marine  acid  air  ;  he  adds  much  to  the  little  of 
what  had  been  heretofore  known  of  the  airs  gene- 
rated by  putrefactive  processes,  and  by  vegetable 
fermentations,  and  he  determines  many  facts  relat-  - 
ing  to  the  diminution  and  deterioration  of  air,  by  the 
combustion  of  Charcoal,  and  the  calcinatioH  of 
of  metals. 

Soon  after  this,  in  confirmation  of  Sir  John  Prin- 
gle's  theoiy  of  intermittents  and  low  fevers  being 
generally  owing  to  moist  miasma  when  people  arc 
exposed  to  its  influence,  he  ascertained  by  means  of 

his 


cnt  a  substance  for  eudiometrlcal  experiments  as  any  of  the  later 
substitutes,  viz.  the  liquid  sulphurets  and  the  combustion  of  pliosphoru*. 
The  foundation  of  Mr.  Davy's  substitute,  muriat  or  sulphat  of  iron  sa- 
turated with  nitrous  air,  was  as  Mr.  Davy  acknowledges  first  disco- 
vered by  Dr.  Priesley  himself  See  Nich.  Joura.  for  Jan.  1SG2  p.  41. 
The  different  states  of  tlie  solutions  of  iron  in  vitriolic  acid  have  been 
ingeniously  applied  to  the  analysis  of  mixed  gasscs  by  Humboldt  and 
Vauc|uelin. 


Chemistry,  Sec.  257 

his  nitrous  test  that  the  air  of  marshes  was  inferior  in 
purity  to  the  common  air  of  the  atmosphere.^ 

He  had  obtained  very  good  air  from  saltpetre  in 
1771,  but  his  full  discovery  of  dephlogisticated, 
air,  seems  not  to  have  been  made  until  June  or  July, 
1774,t  when  he  procured  it  from  precipitate  per  sc, 
and  from  red  lead.  This  was  publicly  mentioned 
by  him  at  the  table  of  Mr.  and  Madame  La^'oisier, 
at  Paris,  in  October  1774,  to  whom  the  phenomena 
were  until  then  unknown.  The  experiments  on  the 
production  of  dephlogisticated  air,  he  made  before 
the  scientific  chemists  at  Paris  about  the  same  time, 
at  Mr.  Trudaine's.  This  hitherto  secret  source  of 
animal  life  and  animal  heat,  of  which  jNIayow  had 
but  a  faint  and  conjectural  glimpse,  \\"as  certainly 
first  exhibited  by  Dr.  Priestley,  and  about  the  same 
time,  (unknown  to  each  other)  by  Mr.  Scheele  of 
Sweden.  For  the  honour  of  science,  it  were  much 
to  be  wished  that  the  pretensions  of  Mr.  Lavoisier 
were  equally  well  founded.     He  has  done  sufficient 

and 


•  Phil,  trans,  v.  54  p.  02. 

t  See- Doctrine  of  Phlogf.  established  p.  119. 

R 


253  ApfENt)ix,  No.   1. 

and  been  praised  sufficiently  for  what  he  has  done,  to 
satisfy  a  mind  the  most  aA'aricious  of  fame  ;  he  is  de- 
servedly placed  in  the  first  rank  among  the  philoso- 
phers of  his  day,  and  he  ought  not  to  have  thrown  a 
shade  over  his  well  earned  reputation,  by  claiming 
for  himself  the  honour  of  those  discoveries  which  he 
had  learned  from  anotlier. 

From  this  brief  account  of  the  first  stage  of  Dr» 
Priestley's  chemical  labours,  it  appears  that  during 
the  short  period  of  two  years,  he  announced  to  the 
world  more  facts  of  real  importance,  and  extensive 
application,  and  more  enlarged  and  extensive  viev^s 
of  the  oeconomy  of  nature,  than  all  his  predecessors 
in  pneumatic  Chemistry  had  made  knowai  before. 

In  1776  his  observations  on  respiration  were  read 
before  the  Royal  Society ;  in  which  he  clearly  dis- 
covered that  the  common  air  inspired,  was  diminish- 
ed in  quantity,  and  deteriorated  in  quality,  by  the 
action  of  the  blood  on  it  through  tlic  blood  licssds  of 
the  lungs  ;  and  that  the  tlorid  red  colour  of  arterial 
blood,  was  communicated  by  the  contact  of  air 
through  the  containing  vessels.  His  experiments 
on  the  change  of  colour  in  blood  confined  in  a  blad- 
der, took  away   all  doubt  of  the  probabilit}'  of  this 

mode 


Chemistry,  &cr  259 

mode  of  action.  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  cir- 
cumstance of  Dr.  Priestley's  mind  being  so  much 
occupied  with  the  prevailing  theory  of  Phlogiston, 
was  the  reason  why  he  did  not  observe  that  the  di- 
tninution  of  the  air,  and  the  florid  colour  of  the  arte- 
rial blood  was  owing  to  the  absorption  of  the  pure 
part  of  the  atmosphere,  rather  than  to  any  thing 
emitted  from  the  blood  itself.  This  part  of  the  the- 
ory of  respiration  Mr.  Lavoisier  has  certainly  esta- 
blished ;  though  it  is  by  no  means  ascertained  as  yet 
whether  the  vital  part  of  the  atmosphere  inspired,  is 
wholly  and  alone  absorbed,  or  whether  in  reality 
something  is  not  contributed  in  the  lungs  to  the  for- 
mation of  the  fixed  air  found  after  expiration.* 
In  1778  Dr.  Priestley  pursued  his  experiments  on 
the  property  of  vegetables  growing  in  the  light  to 
correct  impure  air,  and  the  use  of  vegetation  in  this 

part 


•  Tliat  azote  is  :ibsorbed  during  respiration  as  Dr.  Priestley  sup- 
posed  contrary  to  Mr.  Lavoisier's  opinion,  Is  made  extremely  proba* 
blc  by  tlic  experiments  of  Mr.  Dayy-,  whose  accuracy  is  well  known. 
Researclies,  p.  43i.  Tlic  formation  of  water  in  this  process,  is  cer- 
tainly no  more  than  conjecture  as  yet.  Dr.  Bostock  has  lately  pub- 
lished a  very  r.sefid  and  laborious  history  of  discoveries  relating  to 
respiration,  boUi  anatonucal  and  pneumatical. 

R2 


260  ApPENiiix,  No.  1. 

pait  d(  tlie -oeconomy  of  nature.  A  discovery  wfiicft 
was  aniaounced  to  several  men  of  science  in  England 
previous  to  the  publication  of  the  same  ideas  by 
pr.  Ingenhouz,*  Indeed  from  its  having  been 
communicated  to  M.  ^Magellan  whose  pleasure  and 
4vhose  occupation  it  was,  to  give  information  of  new 
facts  to  his  philosophical  correspondents,  and  of  this 
in  particular  to  Dr.  Ingenhouz  then  engaged  in  si- 
milar researches,  there  is  hardly  a  doubt  but  the 
)atter  knew  of  the  ejj:periments  then  pending  on  the 
subject  by  Dr.  Priestley. 

It  is  painful  to  notice  these  aberrations  from  propri- 
ety in  the  conducft  of  men  highly  respectable  in  the 
philosoj>hicaI  world,  arising  from  an  over  anxious 
avarice  of  literary  fame,  and  an  improper  jealousy  of 
die  reputation  of  another.  Not  that  it  derogates 
from  the  chamcter  of  a  philosopher  to  wish  for  the 

applause 


*  Doctrine  of  Phlogiston  cstLiblished,  p.  10",  et.  seq.  The  theory 
of  the  amelioration  of  inlpure  air  by  the  itbsorption  and  excretion  of 
vegetables  g'rowing'  in  the  light,  has  been  doi.btcJ  by  Dr.  Darv.in  in 
lis  Pliytologia,  and  cppc-ied  by  Count  Riimford  in  a  paper  jjtiblislicif 
yi  t!ie  tran.5:;ctions  oi^the  Roy:d  Society,  fur  1787  :  also  by  Dr.  'Wood. 
Louse  of  Philadclii.'iia,  Nic'.olsoi,':,  J(;ani:d,  for  July  1802,  and  by  Mr 
Robert  Ilarnip,  ^ichol•;:>J/d  Jyu;u;j,  for  July  1?0?- 


Chemistrv,  Sec.  $61 

.applause  of  those  who  know  how  to  appreciate  his 
merit,  or  who  are  benefited  by  his  exertions  ;  such 
an  anxiety  is  laudable  when  it  does  not  lead  to  en- 
croachments on  the  literary  rights  of  others  ;  nor  is 
it  at  all  dcsireable  under  the  present  circumstances  of 
human  nature,  to  expect  from  men  of  science  an  at- 
tention to  their  pursuits  arising  from  motives  of  pure 
benevolence  alone,  and  excluding  all  views,  hopes,  and 
expectations  of  the  gratifying  tribute  of  public  ap- 
probation. I  believe  no  man  ever  laboured  with  a 
more  single  eye  to  public  utility  tlian  Dr.  Priestley. 
But  consideration  in  societ\%  and  the  respectability 
attendant  upon  great  talents,  and  great  industry,  suc- 
cessfully employed  for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  is 
a  motive  to  useful  exertion  so  universal,  so  honest, 
so  laudable,  and  withal  so  powerful,  that  it  is  the 
common  interest,  as  well  as  the  duty  of  society,  to 
bestow  it  liberally  where  it  has  been  earned  faith- 
fully, and  to  concede  it  to  those  only,  who  have 
really  deserved  this  honourable  reward. 

From  this  period  Dr.  Priestley  seems  to  h  ive  at- 
tended to  his  pneumatic  experiments  as  an  occupa- 
tion J  devoting  to  them  a  regular  portion  of  his  time. 
To  this  attention,  among  a  prodigious  variety  of 

R  3  Hictb 


2G2  Appendix,  No.  1. 

facts  tending  to  shew  the  xarious  substances  from 
w  hich  the  gasses  may  be  procured  ;  the  methods 
of  producing  them;  their  influence  on  each  other, 
and  their  probable  composition,  we  owe  the  dis- 
cover}-^ of  vitriolic  acid  air,  of  fiuor  acid  air,  of  vege- 
table acid  air,  of  alkaline  air,  and  of  dephlogisticated 
nitrous  air,  or  gazeous  oxide  of  azote  as  it  has  been 
called,  the  subject  of  so  many  curious  experiments 
by  Mr.  Davy.  To  these  we  may  add  the  produc- 
tion of  the  various  kinds  of  inflammable  air  by  nu- 
merous processes  that  had  escaped  the  observation 
of  Mr.  Cavendish  ;  in  particular  the  formation  of  it 
by  the  electric  spark  taken  in  oils,  in  spirits  of  \\'ine 
and  in  alkaline  air;  the  method  of  procuring  it  by 
passing  steam  through  hot  iron  filings,  and  the  phe- 
nomena of  that  hitherto  undetermined  substance 
the  finery  cinder,  and  its  alliance  to  steel.  To 
Dr.  Priestley  we  owe  the  very  fine  experiment  of 
reviving  metallic  calces  in  inflammable  air  and  its 
absorption  in  toto,  apparently  at  least,  undecompos- 
ed.  He  first  ascertained  the  necessity  of  water  to 
the  formation  of  the  gasses,  and  the  endless  produc- 
tion of  air  from  water  itself. 

Dr.  Priestley's  experiments  on  this  subject,  to 

\\  it : 


Chemistry,  &c.  -    263 

nit :  the  generation  of  air  from  water,  opened  a  new 
field  for  reflection,  and  deserves  more  minute  notice. 
No  theory  has  yet  been  proposed  adequate  to  the  ex- 
planation 01  the  facts.  He  had  before  remarked  that 
water  w  as  necessary  to  the  generation  of  every  spe- 
cies of  air,  but  the  unceasing  product  of  air  from 
water  had  never  been  before  observed. 

In  his  first  set  of  experiments  he  procured  air,  by 
con\erting  the  whole  of  a  quantity  of  water  into 
steam  :  tlien,  to  obviate  the  objection  to  the  water 
ha\iiig  imbibed  air  from  the  atmosphere  he  put  the 
water  on  mercury  in  long  glass  tubes  immersed  in 
mercury :  in  a  third  process  he  used  no  heat,  but 
merely  took  off  the  pressure  of  the  atmosphere. 
In  all  these  cases  a  bubble  of  air  was  extricated 
ia-om  the  water,  which  being  separated  by  inclin- 
ing the  tube,  another  bubble  was  again  produced  on 
each  repetition  of  the  experiment.  That  this  could 
not  be  air  imbibed  from  the  atmosphere  appeared 
from  this,  that  though  tlie  first  portions  were  general- 
ly purer  than  atmospheric  air,  the  next  became  less 
pure,  and  at  length  Avholly  phlogisticated. 

It  did  not  appear  that  the  addition  of  acids,  en 
ablcd  the  water  to  yield  more  air,  nor  did  he  suc- 

cccd> 


264f         '  Appendix,  No.   1, 

ceed  in  attempling  to  convert  the  whole  of  a  given 
quantity  of  water  into  air,  although  exposing  the  wa- 
ter confined  over  mercury  to  heat,  and  separating  the 
air  produced,  it  still  continued  to  produce  more  air 
for  twenty  or  thirty  repetitions  of  the  experiments. 
When  a  certain  proportion  of  air  vvas  thus  produced 
at  any  one  time,  no  continuance  of  the  experiment 
would  encrease  the  quantity  until  it  \\a3  separated. 
Hence  he  concludes  that  the  longest  continuance  of 
of  water  in  the  state  of  vapour  would  not  convert  it 
into  air.     The  water  used  was  pure  distilled  water 
previously  boiled  to   separate  any  adventitious  air 
that  miglit  have  been  imbibed  from  the  atmosphere. 
The  precautions  he  used,  and  the  replies  to  such  ob- 
jections as  he  foresaw  the  experiment  would  be  liable 
to,  are  detailed  in  the  papers  he  published  on  the  sub- 
ject, to  wit,  a  separate  pamphlet  published  in  Eng- 
land in  1793.  and  a  communication  in  the  Am.  Ph. 
trans,  v.  IV.  p.  11 — 20. 

In  the  last  mentioned  paper,  he  proceeds  also  to 
give  an  account  of  some  experiments  on  the  proper- 
ly of  water  to  imbibe  different  kinds  of  air,  and  the 
conversion  of  sp.  of  wine,  into  inflammable  air. 
This  paper  inserted  in  the  American  transactions, 

was 


Chemistry,  fkc,  26^ 

was  read  before  that  societ}  in  Feb.  1796.  In  Ap. 
J800  another  paper  was  read  before  the  same  society 
on  the  production  of  air  by  the  freezing  of  water  Am. 
Ph.  trans,  v.  V.  p.  36.  In  this  paper  he  recapitulates 
the  general  result  of  his  former  experiments  on  the 
generation  of  air  from  water,  namely  *' that  after  all 
"air  had  been  extracted  from  any  quantity  of  water 
"  by  heat  or  by  taking  off  the  pressure  of  the  atmos- 
*'  phere,  whenever  any  portion  of  it  was  converted 
*'  into  vapour,  a  bubble  of  permanent  air  was  formed, 
*'  and  this  was  always  phlogistieated.  The  process 
"  with  the  Torricellian  vacuum  (he  says)  I  continued 
"  for  some  years  and  found  the  production  of  air 
' •  equable  to  the  last.  The  necessarj-  inference  from 
"  this  experiment  is,  that  water  is  convertible  into 
''  phlogistieated  air,  or  that  it  contains  more  of  this 
•*  air  intimately  combined  with  it  than  can  be  cx- 
"  iricated  from  these  processes  in  any  reasonable 
"  time." 

He  proceeds  to  state  his  imperfect  attempts  to  pro- 
cure air  from  water  by  freezing,  until  he  procured 
cylindrical  iron  vessels  seven  or  eight  inches  high  and 
near  three  inches  wide  at  the  bottom,  the  upper  ori- 
fice closed  witli   a  cork  and  cement,  in  the  centre  of 

^^hich 


266  Appendix,  No.  I. 

which  v/as  a  glass  tube  about  one  fifteenth  of  an  inch 
in  diameter.     In  this  apparatus  the  water  in  the  iron 
vessel  was  frozen  by  means  of  snow  and  salt,  the 
vessel  being  immersed  m  mercurj^  and  the  water  con- 
tained over  the  mercury.     The  quantity  of  water 
was  about  three  ounces.     The  experiment  was  re- 
peated nine  times  without  changing  the  water,  and' 
iht  last  portion  of  air  procured  in  this  manner  wasi 
as  great  as  any  of  the  preceding ;   so  that  there  re- 
mained no  reasonable  doubt  but  that  air  might  be 
produced  f  cm  the  same  water  in  this  manner  ad 
libitum.     Having  obtained  near  two  inches  of  aii^ 
in  the  glass  tube,  Dr.  Priestley  put  an  end  to  the 
experiment,  and  examining  the  air  found  it  wholly 
phlogisticated,  not  being  affected  by  nitrous  air,  and 
having  nothing  inflammable  in  it. 

The  inference  di-a\vn  by  the  Doctor  from  those  ex- 
periments is,  that  ^vater  when  reduced  by  any  means 
into  tlic  state  of  vapour,  is  in  part  converted  into 
phlogisticated  air ;  and  this  is  one  of  the  methods 
provided  by  nature  for  keeping  up  the  equilibrium 
of  the  atmosphere,  as  tlie  iiiflucnce  of  light  on  grow- 
ing vegetables  is  the  means  of  recruiting  the  other 
part;  both  of  them  being.  su!)ject  to  absorption  and 

diminu- 


Chemistry,  8>cc,  267 

diminution  in  several  natural  processes.  And  he- 
thinks  that  they  strengthen  also  the  opinion,  that  \\a-. 
ter  is  the  basis  of  every  kind  of  air,  instead  of  Ijcinjv 
itself  a  compound  of  hydrogen  and  oxygen  accord- 
ing to  the  new  thcorw  At  all  events  the  experiments 
tliemsclves  must  be  considered  as  extremely  curious, 
as  well  as  new. 

The  water  and  the  salt  thus  made  use  of  ga^ve  rise 
to  another  experiment  of  the  most  important  nature, 
to  the  present  theory  of  chemistry,  if  it  should  on  fu- 
ture repetition  be  ultimately  verified.  This  experi- 
ment related  by  Dr.  Priesdey  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Wis- 
ton  is  in  substance  as  follows.  Having  repeatedly 
used  as  above  mentioned  a  freezing  mixture  of  com- 
mon salt  and  snow,  the  experiment  being  finished, 
lie  e\'aporated  the  snow  water  in  an  iron  vessel  and 
recovered  the  salt.  The  salt  thus  recovered  contain- 
ed some  calx  of  iron.  He  put  it  bj^  in  a  bottle  and 
labelled  it,  according  to  his  usual  practice.  In  Oc- 
tober 1803,  he  wanted  to  procure  some  marine  aqid, 
and  took  the  salt  thus  procured  by  evaporating  the 
snow  w  atcr,  for  the  purpose.  On  commencing  die 
distillation,  lie  was  surprized  to  find  the  receiver 
full  of  the  characteristic  red  fumes  of  the  nitrous 

acid. 


268  ArrENDi::  No.  1. 

acid.  The  vitriolic  acid  used  for  the  purpose  was' 
diluted  with  about  an  equal  quantity  of  ^vater.  On 
finishing  the  process,  he  took  some  of  the  acid  in 
the  receiver,  and  dissolved  copper  in  it,  and  thus 
procured  good  nitrous  air.  He  was  himself  perfect- 
ly persuaded  that  no  nitre  had  been  used  in  the 
freezing  mixture,  nor  had  any  by  accident  or  de^ 
sign  been  mixed  with  the  salt.  He  was  not  unac- 
quainted v/ith  the  common  mode  of  clearing  black 
oil  of  vitriol  by  the  addition  of  nitre.  So  that  no. 
means  of  accounting  for  this  curious  fact  remained, 
but  the  snow  or  the  iron  :  he  seemed  to  think  that 
should  tills  experiment  be  fully  verified  hereafter,  it 
would  confirm  the  vulgar  Iwpothesis  of  snow^  con- 
taining nitre,  and  account  for  the  fertilizing  quality 
usually-  attributed  to  snow.  Ke  had  no  opportunity 
in  that  winter  of  repeating  the  experiment  as  he  died 
in  about  threes  months  after,  and  his  previous  illness 
had  compelled  him  to  forsake  his  laboratory. 

Of  the  almost  discarded  theory  of  Phlogiston  Dr. 
Priestley  to  his  death  remained  the  strenuous  advo- 
cate, and  almost  the  sole  supporter;  ipse  Agmen^ 
Beautiful  and  elegant  as  the  simplicity  of  the  new 
doctrine  appears,  many  facts  yet  remain  to  be  ex- 
plained, 


Chemistry,  S^e.  269 

f 

plained,  to  which  the  old  system  will  apply,  and  the 
French  theory  is  inadt^quate.  These  are  collected 
with  an  ingenuity  of  airangcment,  and  a  force  of 
reasoning  in  the  last  pamphlet  published  by  the  Doc- 
tor on  the  subject,*  which  no  man  as  yet  unpreju- 
diced can  peruse,  without  hesitating  on  the  trutli 
of  the  fashionable  theory  of  the  day. 

Certainly,  it  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  ex- 
plained on  the  new  theory,  what  becomes  of  the  Ox- 
ygen from  the  decomposed  \\  ater  in  the  solution  of 
metals  in  acids ;  nor  why  inflammable  air  is  produc- 
ed when  one;  metal  in  solution  is  precipitated  by  ano- 
ther ;  nor  why  dephlogisticated  air  is  hardly  to  be  pro- 
cured from  finery  cinder,  if  atall;  norwhythissubstancc 
so  abounding  in  oxygen  according  to  the  new  theory, 
will  not  oxygenate  the  muriatic  acid ;  nor  why  it 
bhould  answer  all  the  purposes  of  ^\ater  in  the  pro- 
duction of  inflammable  air  from  charcoal ;  nor  why 
\\  atcr  in  abundance  should  be  pi;oduced  when  fmery 
cinder  is  heated  in  inflammable  air,  and  none  wlien 
red  precipitate  is  exposed  to  the  same  process ;  nor 
^^•hat  becomes  of  the  oxygen  of  the  decomposed  wa- 
ter 

*  The  doctrjae  of  phlogiston  csULlisLed  1805. 


270  Appendix,  No.  1. 

tcr  ^\  hen  steam  is  sent  over  red  hot  Zinc,  and  inflam- 
mable air  is  produced  without  any  addition  in  weight 
to  the  Zinc  emploj'cd ;   nor  why  there  should  be  a 
copious  production    of  inflammable   air  when  hot 
lilinQ-s  of  Zinc  are  added  to  hot  mercury  in  a  hot 
retort  and  exposed  to  a  common  furnace  heat,  which 
I  believe  is  an  unreported  experiment  of  JNlr.  Kir- 
wan's ;  nor  why  sulphur  and  phosphorus  are  formed 
by  heating  their  acids  in  inflammable  air  without  our 
being  able  to  detect  the  oxygen  which  on  the  new 
theory  ought  to  be  separated ,  nor  why  water  should 
be  produced  by  the  combustion  of  inflammable  air 
^\idi  ,47  of  oxygen,  and  nitrous  acid  when  ,51  of 
oxygen  is  employed,  for  this  experiment  can  now  no 
more  be  doubted  than  explained ;  nor  why  on  the 
ntw  doctrine  the  addition  of  phlogisticated  air,  should 
make  no  alteration  in  the  quantity  of  acid  thus  ob- 
tained ;  nor  \vhy  red  hot  charcoal  slowly  supplied 
with  steam,  should  furnish  inflammable  air  only  and 
not  fixed  or  carbonic  acid  air ;  nor  why  nothing  but 
pure  fixed  air  should  be  produced  by  heating  the  car- 
bonated Barytcs  in  the  same  way  ;    nor  why  fixed 
air  should  be  formed  under  circumstances  when  it 
cannot  be  pretended  that  Carbon  is  present,  as  when 

gold, 


Chemistry,  l^c.  271 

P^ld,  silver,  platina,  copper,  lead,  tin  and  bibinuth 
are  heated  by  a  lens  in  common  air  over  lime  water  ; 
or  why  the  grey  and  yellow  calces  of  lead  should  fur- 
nish carbonic  acid  and  azote,  and  no  oxygen  ;  nor 
why  the  residuum  of  red  lead  when  all  its  oxygen  is 
<:lriven  off  by  heat  should  be  either  massieot  or  glass 
of  lead  according  to  the  degree  of  heat,  and  not  lead 
in  its  metalline  state  ;  nor  why  plumbago  with  steam 
should  yield  inflammable  and  not  fixed  air  ;  nor  whj 
minium  and  precipitate  per  se  heated  in  inflammable 
air  should  produce  fixed  air  ;  nor  why  on  the  evapo- 
ration of  a  diamond  in  oxygen,  the  fixed  air  produced 
should  far  exceed  the  weight  of  the  diamond  employ- 
ed, if  some  of  the  ox}geu  had  not  entered  into  the 
composition  of  the  carbonic  acid  so  formed;  nor 
why  there  should  be  a  constant  residuum  of  plUogis- 
ticated  air  (or  azote)  after  the  firing  of  dcphlogisti- 
catcd  and  inflammable  airs,  if  it  be  not  formed  in  the 
process  ;  nor  why  phlogisticated  air  if  a  simple  sub- 
stance, should  be  so  c\idently  formed  in  the  various 
processes  enumerated  by  Dr.  Priestley  in  the  13th 
section  of  the  pamphlet  of  which  I  have  made  the 
foregoing  abstract?  whether  the  doctrine  of  phlogis- 
ton is  still  to  be  used  as  the  key  to  the  gate  of  ehc- 

nucal 


2^2  Al'PENDix,  No.  1. 

mical  theory,  or  whether  it  be  properly  thrown  iiside 
for  the  elegant  substitute  ofthe  French  chemists,  can 
hardly  be  ascertoincd,  until  the  preceding  difficul- 
ties are  cleared  up  on  the  new  doctrine,  for  on  the 
old  theory  they  are  sufficiently  explicable.  The 
summary  of  arguments  in  favour  of  Phlogiston, 
published  by  Dr.  Priestley,  in  1803,  are  evidently 
too  important,  and  too  difficult  of  reply,  to  be  slight- 
ed by  those  who  adopt  tlie  opposite  opinions.  Non 
jwstri  est  taiitas  componere  Utes.  Should  the  old  theory 
ultimately  fall,  it  maybe  fairly  said  of  its  respectable 
supporter,  si  Pergama  dextra  dcfendi  potiilt,  etiafii 
hac  defcnsa  fiiisset. 

This  was  almost  the  last  of  Dr.  Priesdey's  clier 
mical  publications,-  through  all  which,  his  chai-ac- 
teristic  talent  as  an  author  has  been  eminently  pi"eser\- 
ed,  that  of  not  only  adding  greatly  to  the  existing 
stock  of  knowledge,  but  exciting  others  to  exertion 
and  reflection  in  the  same  line  of  pursuit.     Nor  caii 

I  help 


*■  To  the  end  of  this  Appendix  v/ill  be  subjoined  a  list  of  the  seal- 
tcred  papers  on  Vhilosophioal  subjects  which  Dr.  Priestley  publishctl 
in  pcrlodiculcollectlGr.s,  besides  those  wh'ch  r.rc  inserted  \\\  thC"  Phi- 
Ios'.>phicnl  lr.ins.ictioiis, 


Chemistry,  Sec.  273 

I  help  thinking  that  much  of  the  labours  of  the 
French  philosophers  in  this  department  of  science 
would  never  have  been  undertaken,  if  they  had  not 
been  called  forth  by  the  previous  discoveries,  not  of 
Lemery,  Margraaf,  Bayen,  Macquer,  and  Beaume, 
but  of  Hales,  Black,  and  Macbride ;  of  Cavendish 
and  Priestley  and  Scheele.*  Would  to  God  there 
were  no  other  object  of  contest  between  the  rival 
nations  of  Great  Britain  and  France,  but  which 
should  add  most  to  the  sum  of  human  knowledge, 
and  contribute  most  to  the  means  of  human  happi- 
ness. 

It  is  impossible  to  conclude  the  preceding  account 
better  than  by  the  following  extract  of  a  letter  to  Mr. 
Lindscy  from  a  manf  well  able  to  appreciate  the 
labours  of  Dr.  Priestley ;  and  the  late  testimony  in 
favour  of  his  discernment  by  Dr.  Bostock.  **  To 
"  enumerate  Dr.   Priestley's  discoveries,  would  in 

«'  fact 


•  I  do  not  mean  to  deny  the  tribute  of  praise  to  Marriotte  and  Ve- 
Bel,  any  more  than  to  Brownrigg  and  Lane,  and  it  is  certain  that 
Lavoisier  was  engaged  in  pneumatic  experiments,  previous  to  1774. 

t  Richard  Kirwan,  Esqr. 


2^4f  Appendix,  No.   L 

flict  be  to  enter  into  a  detail  of  most  of  those  that 
have  been  made  within  the  last  15  years.  How 
many  invisible  fluids  whose  existence  evaded  the 
sagacity  of  foregoing  ages  has  he  made  known  to 
us?  The  very  air  we  breathe,  he  has  taught  us  to 
analyze,  to  examine,  to  improve  :  a  substance  so 
little  known,  that  even  the  precise  effect  of  respira- 
tion was  an  enigma  until  he  explained  it.  He  first 
made  known  to  us  the  proper  food  of  vegetables, 
and  in  what  the  difference  between  these  and  ani- 
mal substances  consisted.  To  him  Pharmacy  is 
indebted  for  the  method  of  making  artificial  mi- 
neral waters,  as  vtcII  as  for  a  shorter  method  of 
preparing  other  medicines;  metallurgy  for  more 
powerful  and  cheap  solvents  ;  and  chemistry  for 
such  a  variety  of  discoveries  as  it  would  be  tedious 
to  recite  :  discoveries  which  have  new  modelled 
that  science,  and  drawn  to  it  and  to  this  country, 
the  attention  of  all  Europe.  It  is  certain  that 
since  the  year  1773,  the  eye  and  regards  of  all  the 
learned  bodies  in  Europe  have  been  directed  to 
this  country  by  his  means.  In  ^  every  philosophi- 
cal treatise,  his  name  is  to  be  found,  and  in  almost 
every  page.     The}-  all  own  that  most  of  their  dis- 

*'  coveries 


Chemistry,  8>cc.  275 

'*  co'Ceries  are  due  either  to  the  repetition  of  his  dis- 
**  coveries,  or  to  the  hints  scattered  through  his 
"  works.* 

"  This  is  not  the  only  instance"  (says  Dr.  Bos- 
tock,t  speaking  of  Mr.  Jurin's  opinion  that  azote 
was  generated,  instead  of  being  absorbed,  in  the  pro- 
cess of  respiration  as  Dr.  Priestley,  and  after  him 
Mr.  Davy  had  supposed,)  "  in  which,  after  the  con- 
"  chisions  of  Dr.  Priestley  have  been  controverted 
*'  by  his  contemporaries,  a  more  accurate  investiga- 
*'  tion  of  the  question,  has  ultimately  decided  in  his 
"  favour.  The  complicated  apparatus,  and  impo- 
*'  sing  air  of  minuteness  which  characterize  the  ope- 
*  rations  of  the  French  chemists,  irresistibly  engage 
'*  the  assent  of  the  reader,  and  scai'cely  permit  him 
"  to  examine  the  stability  of  the  foundation  upon 
"  which  the  structure  is  erected.  The  simphcity 
"  of  the  processes  employed  by  Dr.  Priestley,  the 
"  apparent  ease  with  which  his  experiments  were 
*'  performed,  and  the  unaffected  conversational  stile 

"in 

*  Vindicite  Pricsllianae,  p.  68. 
^  Essay  on  ixspiratioii,  p.  208. 

i^2 


276  AprcNDix,  No.  1. 

"  in  which  they  are  related  have,  on  the  contrary  been 
"  mistaken  for  the  effects  of  haste  and  inaccuracy. 
*'  Something  must  also  be  ascribed  to  the  iheoreti- 
*'  cal  language  which  pervades,  and  obscures  the 
"  chemical  writings  of  this  Philosopher,  in  conse- 
"  quence  of  his  unfortunate  attachment  to  the  doc- 
*'  trine  of  Phlogiston." 

When  the  operose  experiment  of  the  French  che- 
mists on  the  formation  of  water,  shall  have  been  suf- 
ficiently repeated,  and  verified  by  other  experiments 
to  the  same  point,  less  complex,  less  tedious,  less  ex- 
pensive, and  easy  to  be  repeated ;  when  the  water 
thus  supposed  to  be  formed  is  sufficiently  distin- 
guished from  the  water  absolutely  necessary  to  the 
generation  of  all  airs,  and  attendant  upon  them*  both 
in  a  state  of  mixture  and  combination  ;  and  when 
the  difficulties  enumerated  a  page  or  two  back,  as  at. 
tendant  on  the  modern  theory  shall  be  explained  on 

the 


II  Mr.  Kirvvan  found  that  common  inflammable  aii-  from  iron,  and 
vitriolic-acid,  contained  about  2-3  of  its  W'-Ig'ht  of  water  mixed  with 
it ;  which  7-nig'it  be  separated  from  tlie  air  by  means  of  concentrated 
vitriolic-acid  in  a  v.atcli  ghiss  over  mercury,  without  diminishing-  the 
quantity  or  altering'  the  characteristic  properties  of  the  air  tlui« 
treated. 


Chemistry,  &c.  277 

the  new  system,  as  well  as  on  that  of  Stahl,  then, 
and  not  until  then,  will  it  be  time  to  lament  Dr. 
Priestley's  unfortunate  attachment  to  the  doctrine  of 
Phlogiston. 


Of  Dr,   Prkstley^s  other  Scientific   Works, 

THE  other  philosophical  labours  of  Dr.  Priestley 
consist  of  his  history  of  electricity,  his  histoiy  of  the 
discoveries  relating  to  light  and  colour,  and  his  popu- 
lar introductions  to  perspective,  electricity  and  natu- 
ral philosophy. 

It  appears  that  after  the  publication  of  his  history 
of  electricity,  he  intended  to  have  pursued  the  plan, 
by  composing  similar  histories  of  every  branch  of 
science  :  a  magnificent  idea,  and  which  none  but  a 
man  conscious  of  uncommon  powers  could  have 
contemplated.  Few  men  indeed  were  so  capable  of 
such  an  undertaking  as  Dr.  Priesdey  ;  for  indepen- 
dant  of  his  habits  of  patient  and  regular  industry  in 
his  literary  pursuits,  and  the  wide  field  of  his  atten- 
tion to  scientific  objects,  he  had  a  facility  of  perusing, 
abstracting,  and  arranging  the  works  of  others,  not 
commonly  attendant  even  upon  equal  abilities  ia 

S  3  odier 


578  Appendix  No.  1. 

other  respects.  This  great  undertaking  of  Dr. 
Priestley  to  embrace  th<;  various  departments  of  phi- 
losophy, appears  a  labour  sufficient  for  one  life  ;  and 
had  due  encouragement  been  afforded,  this  pro- 
jected series  of  histories  would  in  all  probability 
ha^'e  been  compleated,  usefully  to  the  world,  and  re- 
putably to  himself.  But  he  proposed  this  undertak- 
ing laborious  as  it  was,  without  designing  that  it 
should  occupy  the  whole  or  the  principal  portion  of 
his  time,  but  his  leisure  hours  only  ;  for  at  no  peri- 
od did  he  postpone  his  professional  duties,  or  his 
theological  studies,  to  any  other  object  whatever. 
The  life  of  Dr.  Priestley  is  almost  a  perpetual  il- 
lustration of  a  seeming  paradox,  respecting  mental 
energy,  that  men  of  talents,  uncommonly  laborious, 
and  who  appear  to  get  through  more  business  than 
one  person  could  be  supposed  equal  to,  have  usual- 
ly more  leisure  time  at  their  disposal,  than  those 
who  have  little  to  do  :  so  much  does  tlie  habit  cn- 
crease  the  power  of  exertion.  Nor  was  any  man 
less  a\'erse  to  the  innocent  pleasures  of  social  enjoy- 
ment than  Dr.  Priestley,  or  better  calculated  as  well 
as  more  inclined  to  contribute  to  the  common  stock 
of  amusing,  and  instructive  conversation.  It  can- 
not 


Chemistry,  Sec.  27^ 

not  indeed  be  truly  said  of  him,  as  Dr.  Johnson* 
once  related  of  himself,  that  he  had  never  refused  an 
invitation  to  dinner  on  account  of  business  but  once 
in  his  life,  yet  no  man  more  readily  found  leisure  for 
social  intercourse.  This  arose  from  his  habit  of  di- 
viding his  time  into  certain  portions  appropriated  to 
his  respective  pursuits,  and  determining  to  perform 
a  certain  quantity  of  literary  duty,  within  the  assign- 
ed period. 

The  first  edition  of  his  history  of  Electricity,  was 
in  1767:   it  went  through  another  edition  in   1769, 

and 

•  On  that  day,  (Dr.  Johnson  said)  as  it  was  an  unusual  deprivation, 
he  found  himself  disinclined,  and  unaLle  to  attend  steadily  to  tlie 
work  that  led  him  to  refuse  the  invitation.  He  walked  about  his  li- 
brary occasionally  looking  over  first  one  book  and  then  anollier  until 
about  four  o'clock  when  weary  of  staying  within  he  went  to  a  tavern.to 
dine.  Dr.  Johnson  had  for  a  long  time  a  dislike  to  Dr.  Priestley 
who  bore  two  of  the  characters  most  in  disrepute  with  Dr.  Johnson,  tliat 
of  a  whig  and  a  dissenter.  Dr.  Priestley's  pursuits  also  consisting  so 
largely  of  heterodox  theology,  whlclv  Dr.  Jolinson  a!)omin;ited,  and 
experimental  philosophy  which  he  heartily  despised,  they  had  hardly 
a  common  point  of  union.  Toward  tlie  latter  part  of  Johnson's  life, 
they  met ;  and  upon  the  friendly  terms  that  ought  to  obtain  between 
two  men,  who,  caoh  in  their  way,  deserved  so  well  of  the  republic  of 
Icttcn. 

S4 


280  Appendix,  No.  1. 

and  a  third  in  1775.  It  was  published  at  a  very 
happy  time,  when  electricity  was  a  favourite  object 
of  attention  to  many  respectable  men  of  science  then 
living,  and  it  contributed  in  a  great  degree  to  turn 
the  public  attention  toward  the  study  of  these  phe- 
nomena. Very  much  of  what  has  been  done  since 
may  be  fairly  attributed  to  the  popularity  given  to 
this  branch  of  experimental  philosophy  by  Dr. 
Priestley.  Nor  did  he  confine  himself  to  a  mere 
narration  of  the  labours  of  others  ;  the  second  vo- 
lume contains  many  new  experiments  of  his  own, 
and  some  of  them  form  very  curious  and  important 
additions  to  the  stock  of  electrical   knowledge.* 

The 


*  Dr.  Priestley  among  his  other  experiments  on  electricity  first 
ascertained  tlie  conducting  power  of  charcoal  and  the  calcination  and 
vitrification  even  of  the  most  perfect  metals  by  the  electric  spark. 
He  seems  first  to  hare  used  l.^.rge  batteries,  which  M.  Van  Marum 
and  his  associates  have  carried  to  such  extent. 

The  solutions  of  the  metals,  the  gasses  produced  and  the  circum- 
stances which  accelerate  and  prevent  these  effects  in  Galvanic  pro- 
cesses with  the  pile  of  Volta,  as  detailed  by  Dr.  Priestley  in  his  paper 
on  this  subject  in  Nich.  Jonrn.  for  March  1802  p.  198  form  very  im- 
portant additions  to  the  mass  of  knowledge  respecting  the  Galv.inic 
fluid.  Nor  arc  his  discoveries  in  pneumatic  electricity,  of  the  conver- 
sion of  oils,  spirit  of  wine  and  the  alkaline  gass  into  inflammable  air 
or  h}  drogcn  of  less  moment. 


Chemistry,  8cc.  281 

The  discoveries  of  the  last  thirty  years,  particularly 
including  those  of  Galvanic  Electricity,  are  so  nu- 
merous, and  so  dispersed  in  volumes  difficult  to  be 
procured,  that  a  continuation  of  this  history  is  a  de- 
sideratum in  the  scientific  world  ;  at  one  time  there 
was  an  expectation  of  seeing  it  from  the  pen  of 
Mr.  Nicholson,  whose  general  knowledge,  and  in- 
dustr}%  as  well  as  his  attention  to  this  branch  of 
philosophy  in  particular,  render  him  peculiarly  qua- 
lified for  the  task.  But  the  proposals  he  communi- 
cated to  Dr.  Priestley,  on  the  subject,  were  not  pur- 
sued to  effect.* 

These  histories  of  detached  branches  of  Science, 
would  not  only  be  highly  useful,  but  they  may  be 
considered  as  in  some  measure  necessary  to  the  ac- 
curate pursuit,  and  advancement  of  science  itself* 
They  are  not  only  useful  for  the  purpose  of  shewing 
the  discoveries  that  have  been  made,  and  the  time  of 
their  publication,  the  ideas  that  appear  to  have  sug- 
gested them,  the  persons  to  whom  we  arc  indebted 
for  them,  and  their  effect  on  tlie  spirit  of  enquiry  at 

the 

•  Dr.  Bostock,  wlio  seems  to  have  many  requisites  to  qiiallfv  liini 
ag  the  historian  of  particular  branches  of  science,  has  published  a  good 
attempt  toward  the  history  of  Galvanism  in  Nicholson's  Journal. 


282  Appendix,  No.  1. 

the  time,  but  they  prevent  a  man  of  science  from 
being  led  into  mistakes,  from  doing  what  has  been 
already  done,  from  suggesting  what  has  been  alrea- 
dy published,  and  from  ignorantly  claiming  to  him- 
self the  merit  due  to  the  labours  of  a  predecessor. 
Books  are  now  so  multiplied,  in  languages  so  vari- 
ous, obtained  with  so  much  difficulty,  and  at  an  ex- 
pence  so  far  exceeding  the  usual  means  of  scientific 
men,  that  tliose  who  like  Dr.  Priestley  fully  and 
faithfully  execute  a  work  of  this  description  are  real 
benefactors  to  mankind.* 

The  history  of  Electricity  was  composed  by 
Dr.  Priestley  in  one  year.  The  three  editions  of  the 
work  in  less  than  eight  or  nine  years  sufficiently  shew 
that,  in  the  opinion  of  men  of  science,  it  was  well 
composed :  otherwise  the  celerity  of  its  composition, 
would  no  doubt  derogate  from,  instead  of  adding  to, 
the  well  earned  reputation  of  the  author  ;  and  rather 
tend  to  shew  that  he  was  too  careless  or  too  conceited 
to  take  the  necessar)-^  pains  and  employ  the  necessary 

time 


*  The  transactions  of  the  various  academies  and  philosophical  so- 
cieties in  Europe  amount  at  least  to  1000  volumes  in  quarto.  The 
Toyal  society  of  EnghMid  in  1665  led  the  way  to  similar  institutions. 


Chemistry,  &c.  283 

time  to  make  it  lit  Tor  public  inspection.  Every  man 
owes  to  the  public,  that  if  he  professes  to  instruct 
them,  he  should  dedicate  as  much  labour  as  the  sub- 
ject demands,  or  at  least  as  much  time  as  it  is  in  his 
power  to  devote  to  it.  I  fully  accede  to  the  ingeni- 
ous correction  of  the  nonum  prematur  in  Annuniy 
suggested  by  the  witty  Dr.  Byrom  of  Manchester ; 
but  something  of  the  LiriKc  Labot\  respect  for  the 
tribunal  of  the  public  demands  of  every  man  who  ap- 
pears before  them  in  the  character  of  an  author.  Dr. 
Priestley  has  in  more  instances  than  one,  been  accus- 
ed of  unnecessary  if  not  of  culpable  rapidity  in  his 
literary  compositions  :  but  he  ncvcF  professed  to  be 
a  fine  writer;  he  never  sought  after  tlie  beauties  of 
stile  ;  and  his  common  language  was  sufficiently  neat 
and  expressive,  to  communicate  die  facts  and  the  ar. 
guments  upon  which  it  was  employed.  It  is  also  to 
be  remarked,  that  the  facility  of  composition  which 
he  acquired  from  long  practice,  made  that  labour 
light  to  him,  which  would  have  been  too  much  for  a 
less  skilful  and  a  less  experienced  composer.  In 
many  instances  indeed  of  his  rapid  publications,  he 
had  not  to  seek  for  arguments,  but  to  express  in  his 
unornaniented  and  unaffected  manner,  the  ideas  that 

forced 


284  Appendix,  No.  1. 

forced  themselves  upon  him  relating  to  a  subject  pre- 
viously considered  and  upon  which  he  had  long  made 
up  his  mind. 

The  History  of  Discoveries  respecting  light  and 
COLOURS  published  in  1772  was  a  more  difficult  task, 
nor  did  it  meet  with  equal  encouragement.  Sir 
Isaac  Newton's  important  labours  in  this  branch  of 
science,  could  not  be  fully  comprehended  without  a 
portion  of  mathematical  knowledge  not  even  then  so 
common  as  formerly,  among  the  philosophers  of  the 
day.  Mathematical  studies  seem  to  have  in  them- 
selves very  little  to  interest,  compared  w  ith  other  lite- 
rary pursuits ;  although  by  long  attention  and  habit, 
that  interest  may  be  excited  and  kept  up.  It  was 
about  this  time  that  the  popular  phenomena  of  che- 
mistry and  electricity  more  decidedly  took  their  stand 
in  the  field  of  science,  and  in-esistably  seized  hold  on 
the  attention  of  the  world  :  phenomena,  highly  amus- 
ing in  themselves,  strongly  attractive  from  their  no- 
velty, of  evident  and  immediate  application,  and 
that  promised  an  incalculable  harvest  of  honourable 
and  useful  discovery,  to  such  as  would  become  their 
votaries.  Little  had  been  done  in  this  department  of 
philosophy,  little  previous  knowledge  was  required 

to 


Chemistry,  ?>cc.  285 

to  comprehend  all  that  was  kno^^  n,  and  those  who 
were  unable  to  read  a  page  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  \\ith 
profit,  could  easily  mix  an  acid  and  an  alkali,  or 
turn  the  wheel  of  an  electrical  apparatus. 

By  this  time  too,  it  had  been  discovered,  that  there 
were  other  powers  in  nature  that  must  be  called  in  to 
explain  appearances,  v/hich  the  mechanical  and  cor- 
puscular philosophy  had  endeavoured  to  elucidate  in 
vain.  Such  were  magnetism,  electricity  and  chemis- 
tr}'.  It  began  to  be  found  out,  that  the  science  of 
calculation,  was  but  an  aukward  handmaid  to  their 
sister  branches  of  natural  philosophy,  while  physiolo- 
gy, laughed  outright  at  the  clumsy  addresses  of  her 
mathematical  admirers,  from  Borelli  to  Keill. 

The  discoveries  therefore  relating  to  light  and 
colours,  at  the  time  when  Dr.  Priestley  proposed 
his  history,  being  intimately  associated  with  the  stu- 
dy of  the  mathematics,  and  the  profound  investi- 
gations of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  were  out  of  the  beat  of 
the  less  laborious,  but  more  fashionable  philosophy  of 
the  day ;  and  were  not  so  generally  interesting  to 
the  Sciolists  and  Amateurs.  Hence  the  work  in 
question,  though  treated  in  a  very  entertaining  and 
popular  manner,  and  by  no  means  crouded  with  re- 
ference 


286  Appendix,  No.  1. 

ference  to  Diagrams  or  abstruse  discussions,  was  not 
popular  even  among  that  class  of  readers,  who  might 
reasonably  be  calculated  on,  as  the   purchasers  of 
such  a  performance.     The  subscribers  indeed  were 
sufficiently  numerous,  and  respectable,  but  by  far 
the  majority  were  defaulters  in  respect  of  payment. 
It  did  not  pay  the  bookseller  :    and  of  course  still 
less  did  it  recompence  Dr.  Priestley  in  a  pecuniary 
point  of  view,  especially  as  he  had  gone  to  consider- 
able expence  with  a  view  to  the  completion  of  his 
extended  plan.     To  him  indeed,  though  pecuniary 
loss  was  a  serious  evil,  pecuniary  profit  was  a  consi- 
deration of  small  importance  :  his  motives  to  litera- 
ry labour  seem  uniformly  to  have  arranged  them 
selves  as  follows,  utihty,  reputation,  profit. 

The  work  in  question  is  certainly  too  brief,  con- 
sidering the  importance  of  the  f  ibject :  many  parts 
of  it,  the  theory  of  Huygens,  uler,  and  Franklin 
for  instance,  seem  to  have  merited  more  discussion. 
That  all  the  phenomena  of  light  depend  on  the  Sun, 
as  the  reservoir,  whence  all  the  emanations  of  that 
fluid  to  the  various  parts  of  the  system  are  supplied, 
the  lighting  of  a  candle  is  alone  sufficient  to  refute. 
The  facts  disco\  ered  to  us  by   modem  Chemistry 

will 


Chemistry,  &c.  287 

will  suggest  a  great  many  otlier  doubts  of  the  doc- 
trines respecting  light,  which  were  regarded  as  well 
established  when  Dr.  Priestley's  book  was  Avritten. 
But  it  was  a  faithful  account  of  the  knowledge  of  the 
day,  and  an  unprejudiced  tribute  to  the  reputation 
of  those  philosophers  who  had  from  time  to  time  ex- 
tended the  boundaries  of  science  on  the  subjects 
treated  of. 

Not  a  little  has  been  added  to  the  mass  of  facts 
then  published,  by  the  subsequent  experiments  of 
Dr.  Priestley  himself,  and  his  fellow  labourers  in  the 
Chemistry  of  the  Gasses  :  and  notwithstanding  the 
experiments  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  his  predeces- 
sors, the  theory  of  light  and  colours  is  not  yet  rest- 
ed upon  facts  sufficiently  numerous,  and  decisive  to 
satisfy  the  enquiries  dictated  by  the  present  state  of 
knowledge. 

But  with  all  these  disadvantages,  the  work  has  ne- 
vertheless maintained  its  ground,  for  we  have  no 
where  else  so  systematic,  and  compleat,  though  brief 
an  account  of  wliat  hud  been  made  known  to  the 
v/orld  on  tliis  important  branch  of  scientific  inquiry. 
It  will  always  remain  a  valuable  performance ;  and 
to  the  author  an  h.onourable  one,  from  the  know- 
ledge 


288  Appendix,  No.  1* 

ledge  and  ability  required  in  its  compilation,  from 
the  fairness  of  the  account  it  gives,  and  the  enter- 
taining statement  of  facts  and  suggestions  interspers- 
ed through  the  book. 

It  is  greatly  indeed  to  be  wished,  that  these  histo- 
ries should  be  continued  on  the  plan  which  Dr. 
Priestley  has  adopted.  So  that  all  the  prominent 
facts  should  be  collected  in  the  order  of  their  disco- 
very, and  a  full  view  be  given  of  the  ground  already 
gone  over.  Abridgments,  do  not  answer  this  pur- 
pose ;  the  theories  that  dictated  the  experiments  are 
not  detailed,  their  truth  or  their  fallacy  cannot  be 
judged  of,  and  sufficient  merit  is  not  attributed  to 
the  labours  of  the  discoverer,  or  the  bearings  of  his 
facts  on  his  theory,  sufficiently  explained.  To  at- 
tain gradually  to  the  summit  of  the  temple  of  sci- 
ence, we  must  not  only  build  on  the  foundations  of 
our  predecessors,  but  know  somewhat  of  their  in- 
tentions at  the  time  of  laying  them. 

The  minor  treatises  of  Dr.  Priestley  on  electricity, 
perspective  and  natural  philosophy,  have  this  discri- 
mination of  character,  that  they  are  more  calculated 
to  allure  young  people  to  the  study  of  those  subjects 
than  almost  any  of  the  introductions  which  have 

cither 


Chemistry,  &c.'  289 

cidier  preceded  or  succeeded.     Philosoph}^  is  made, 
not  an  abstruse  science,  but  a  delightful  amusement. 
Indeed  it  was  the  fort  of  Dr.  Priestley  to  make 
knowledge   intelligible  and  popular,  and  treat  it  in 
such  a  way,  as  to  invite  rather  than  deter,  those  who 
were  inclined  to  enter  upon  these  delightful  pursuits. 
The  plainness  and  simplicity  of  his  syllabus,   the 
amusing  complexion  of  the  Phenomena,   by  which 
he  illustrates   his  doctrines,  and  the  facility  with 
which  the  one  can  be  made,  and  the  other  compre- 
hended, affords  a  very  useful  example  to  those  who 
may  have  the  same  object  hereafter  in  view.     This 
was  doubtless,  owing  to  his  long  experience  as  a  teach- 
er :    and  his  success  in  that  capacity  among  his  pu- 
pils, with  the  electrical  machine,  and  the  air  pump, 
is  full  evidence  of  the  practical  utility  of  his  plans 
of  instruction. 


Catalogue 


290  Appendix  No.  1. 

Catalogue  of  Dr.  Pricsthy's  smaller  pamphlets  and 

uncollected  papers  on  philosophical  subjects.   I 
Nicholson^  s 


LMc/ioisons    ■\ 

Journal.       >- 

new  series.  J 

V.  1  p.  181. 

Ibid     198. 

V.  2  p.  233. 

V.  3  p.  52. 


V.  4  p.  65. 

Amer.  Tra?is. 
V.  4  p.  1. 


Reply  to  Mr.  Cruikshank's. 
Experiments  on  the  Pile  of  Volta. 
On  the  conversion  of  ii-on  into  steel. 
On  air  from  finery  cinder  and  char- 
coal. 
Farther  reply  to  IVIr.  Cruikshank's* 


Experiments  and   observations  re- 
hiting  to  the  analybib  of  atmospheri- 
cal  air. 
V.  4  p.  11.         Farther  experiments  relating  to  the 

generation  of  air  from  water. 
Ibid  p.  382.       Appendix  to  the  above  articles. 
Jb.  FoL  V.  fp.  1.     Experiments  on  the  transmission 
of  acids  and  other  liquors  in  the 
form  of  vapours  o^'er  several  sub- 
stances in  a  hot  earthen  tube, 
p.  14.  Experiments  on  the  change  of 
place   in   dificrent  kinds  of  air 
through  several  interposing  sub- 


c 


< 


'to' 
stances. 


p.  21 


o 
crq 

n 

tr 
o 


Chemistry,  Sec,  291 

21.  Experiments  relating  to  the  ab- 
sorption of  air  by  water. 

28.  Miscellaneous  experiments  relat- 
ing to  the  doctrine  of  phlogiston. 

36.  Experiments  on  the  production  of 
air  by  the  freezing  of  water. 

42.  Experiments  on  air  exposed  to 
heat  in  metallic  tubes. 

Nciv-Tork  Bled.  Rcpos.       Title  and  Date. 

Vol.  1  p.  221.   Considerations   on   the   doctrine   of 
Phlog.  and  the  Decomp.   of  water. 
(Pamphlet)  1796. 
Part  2d  of  do.     ( Pamphlet  1797.) 
(Pamphlet)  to  Dr.  Mitchell. 
(Pamphlet)   on   Red  Precipitate    of 
Mercury  as  favourable  to  thcdoctrine 
of  Phlogiston,  July  20,  1798. 
Experiments  relating  to  the  calces  of 
metals  communicated  in  a  fifth  let- 
ter to  Dr.  Mitchell.     October  11, 
1798.     (Pamphlet.) 
Of  some  experiments   made    ^vith 
ivory  black  and  also  with  diamonds. 
(Pamphlet)  11  October,  1798. 

T  2  Ibid.  p.  383, 


Ibid  p.  541. 
Vol.  2  p.  48. 
Ibid  p.  163. 


Ibid  p.  263. 


Ibid  p.  269, 


0^2  Appendix,  No.   1, 

Ibid  p.  383.  On  the  phlogistic  theory,  January  17, 
1799.     (Pamphlet.) 

Ibid  p.  588.  On  the  same  subject.  February  1, 
1799. 

\'oI.  3  p.  116.  A  reply  to  his  antiphlogistian  oppo- 
nents, No.  1. 

Vol.  4  p.  17.  Experiments  on  the  production  of 
air  by  the  freezing  of  \\ater. 

Ibid  p.  135.  Experiments  on  heating  Manganese 
in  inflammable  air. 

Ibid  p.  247.  Some  observations  relating  to  the 
sense  of  hearing. 

Vol.  5  p.  32.  Remarks  on  the  work  entided  '*  A 
brief  history  of  epidemic  and  pesti- 
lential diseases,"  May  4,  1801. 

Ibid  p.  125.       Some  thoughts  concerning  dreams. 

Ibid  p.  264.  Miscellaneous  observations  relating 
to  the  doctrine  of  air,  July  30, 
ISOl. 

Ibid  p.  390.  A  reply  to  Mr.  Cruikshank's  obser- 
vations in  defence  of  the  new  system 
of  chemistrv,  5  \'oL  Nicholson's 
Journal  p.  1,  ?xc. 

Vol.  6  p.  24.      Remarks  on  Mr.  Cruikshank's  ex- 
periments 


Chemistry,  Sec.  295 

periments  upon  finery    cinder    and 
chai'coal. 

Ibid  p.  158.       Observations  on  the  conversion  of 
iron  into  steel. 

Ibid  p.  271.  Additional  remarks  on  Mr.  Cruik- 
shank's  experiments  on  finery  cin- 
der and  charcoal,  November  15 
1802. 


APPEN- 


T3 


APPENDIX,    NO.   2. 

Of  Dr.  Priestlcy''s  Metaphysical  JVrhings. 

THE  principal  source  of  objection  to  Dr.  Priest- 
ley in  England,  certainly  arose  from  his  being  a 
dissenter  ;  from  his  opposition  to  the  hierarchy,  and 
to  the  preposterous  alliance,  between  Church  and 
State  :  an  alliance,  by  which  the  contracting  par- 
ties seem  tacitly  agreed  to  support  the  pretensions 
of  each  other,  the  one  to  keep  the  people  in  religious, 
and  the  other  in  civil  bondage.  His  socinian  doc- 
trines in  theology,  and  the  heterodoxy  of  his  meta- 
physical opinions,  though  they  added  much  to  the 
popular  outcry  raised  against  him,  were  not  less  ob- 
noxious to  the  generality  of  Dissenters,  than  to  the 
Clergy  of  the  Church  of  England.  Nor  is  it  a  slight 
proof  of  the  integrity  of  his  character,  and  his  bold- 
ness in  the  pursuit  of  truth,  that  he  did  not  hesitate 
to  step  forward  the  avowed  advocate  of  opinions, 
^vhich  his  intimate  and  most  valuable  friends,  and  the 
many  \\  ho  locked  up  to  him  as  the  ornament  of  the 
disseiiling  interest,  regarded  uith  sentiments  of  hor- 
ror, 


Metaphysics.  295 

ror,  as  equally  destructive  of  civil  society  and  true 
religion. 

The  extreme  difference  observable  between  the 
apparent  properties  of  animal  and  inanimate   mat- 
ter, easily  led  to  the  opinion  of  something  more  as 
necessary  to  though^,  and  the  phenomena  of  mind, 
than  mere  juxta  position  of  the  elements,  whereof 
our  bodies  are  composed.      The  very  antient  opi- 
ricn  also  of  a  state  of  existence  after  death,  preva- 
lent in  the  most  uncivilized  as  well  as  enlightened 
states   of  society,  confirmed  this  opinion  of  a  sepa- 
rate and  immortal  part  of  the  human  system  :  for  it 
was  sufficiently  evident,  that  no  satisfactorj'  hopes  of 
a  futurity  after  death,  could  be  founded  on  the  pe- 
rishable baois  of  the  human  bod}'.     It  is  only  of  late 
d  ys,  and  from  the  extention  of  anatomical  andph}'- 
siological  knowledge,  diat  the  theory,  and  the  facts 
of  animal  organization'  have  been  at  all  understood  ; 
and  without  [the  conjunction  of   physiology  with 
metaphysics,  the  latter  would  have  remained  to  eter- 
nity, as  it  has  continued  for  ages,  a  mere  collection 
of  sophisms,  and  a  science  of  grammatical  quibbling. 
The  doctrine  of  a  future  state,  and  that  of  an  imma- 
terial and  immortal  soul,  became  therefore  mutual 
T  4  supports 


5296  Appendix,  No.  2. 

supports  to  each  other ;  and  herein  the  civil  power 
willingly  joined  in  aid  of  the  dogmas  of  metaphysi- 
cal theology,  from  observing  the  convenience  that 
might  arise  in  the  government  of  civil  societies, 
from  inculcating  a  more  complete  sanction  of  re- 
wards and  punishments  for  actions  in  this  life,  by 
means  of  the  dispensations  in  a  life  to  come.  Other 
causes  also  gave  an  universal  preponderance  to  the 
theory  of  the  human  soul.  It  became,  for  the  rea- 
sons above  mentioned,  not  only  a  favourite  doctrine 
with  churchmen  and  statesmen,  but  the  self  delusi- 
ons among  the  vulgar,  respecting  supposed  appear- 
ances after  death,  rendered  it  also  a  popular  doctrine. 
Indeed,  in  every  age,  and  in  every  country,  the 
priesthood  have  found  it  so  powerful  an  engine  of 
influence  over  the  minds  of  the  people,  and  in  too 
many  cases,  so  fruitful  a  source  of  lucrative  impos- 
ture, that  its  prevalence  is  not  to  be  wondered  at, 
whercA^er  artificial  theology  has  been  engrafted  on 
the  simplicity  of  true  religion,  and  supported  by  an 
established  clergy.  Of  Popery,  which  yet  remains 
the  prevailing  system  of  the  christian  world,  it  is 
doubtless  the  corner  stone ;  and  even  under  every 
form  of  ignorant  and  idolatrous  worship  through- 

out 


Metaphysics.  297 

out  the  globe,  it  is  the  main  source  of  poA^cr  and 
profit  to  that  class  of  society,  which  regulates  the  re- 
ligious opinions,  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  coun- 
try. Not  that  I  would  insinuate,  that  the  belief  of  a 
-sepiu-ate  soul,  like  some  other  opinions  that  might 
be  mentioned,  has  been  generally  taught  by  profes- 
sors who  disbelieve  it ;  for  plausible  arguments  are 
not  wanting,  to  give  it  that  currency  ^\hich  it  has  so 
long  received  among  the  wisest  and  the  best  of  men : 
nor  that  an  established  priesthood  of  any  age  or 
countr}-,  or  of  any  religion,  is  a  mere  compound 
of  fraud  and  imposture,  for  I  well  know  that  the 
wise  and  the  good  are  al^undant  in  this  class  of  so- 
ciety, as  well  as  in  others.  But  even  such  men  arc 
liable  to  the  common  infirmities  of  human  nature; 
they  cannot  be  indifferent  to  their  rank  in  society, 
or  the  means  of  their  subsistence  :  it  is  not  eveiy 
college  youth,  that  is  able  or  willing  to  weigh  ''  the 
difficulties  and  discouragements  attending  the  stu- 
dy of  the  Scriptures,"  so  forcibly  pointed  out  in  the 
melancholy  pamphlet  of  Bishop  Hare :  nor  is  it 
c^  cry  professor  of  Christianity,  who  doubts  of  the 
doctrines  he  has  undertaken  to  teach,  that  has  forti- 
tude enough  to  follow  the  noble  example  ofThco- 

philus 


298  Appendix,  No.  2. 

philus  Lindsey,  and  John  Disney.     Hence  we  may- 
take  for  granted,  that  those  opinions  will  be  admit- 
ted the  most  readily,  and  enforced  the  most  willirig- 
ly,  which  contribute  to  the  influence  of  that  order, 
which  the  professors  have  been  induced  by  choice, 
or  compelled  by  necessity,  to  wed  for  life.      Choice 
indeed,  at  least  that  kind  of  choice,  which  depends 
on  a  well-grounded  conviction  of  the  object  chosen 
being  the  means  of  superior  usefulness,  has  little  to 
do  in  this  business.     For  though  the  clergy  of  the 
church  of  England  severally  declare   that  they  are 
moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  take  upon  them  the 
clerical  character,   is  there  one  among  them  in  the 
present  day  (Bishop  Horsely  perhaps  excepted)  who 
would  venture  to  defend  this  declaration  in  the  sense 
originall}^  intended  ?  It  is  a  fact  notorious,  that  the 
candidates  for  holy  orders,  regard  the  profession  of 
Divinity  as  they  v/ould  that  of  Physic  or  Law,  a  fair 
and  reputable  means  of  gaining  a  livelihood,  by  per- 
forming those  duties  which  are  considered  as  neces- 
sary to  the  well  being  of  society.     It  is  a  fact  too, 
equally  notorious,   that  wherever  theological  opini- 
ons (like  that  of  the  human  soul)  have  been  fit  and 
liable  to  be  made  subservient  to  the  temporal  pro- 
fit 


Metaphysics.  299 

fit  or  influence  of  the  cltrgy,  that  use  has  been  so 
made  of  them  by  the  ambitious  and  designing  part  of 
the  profession,  and  the  rights  oi'the  people  have  been 
encroached  upon,  to  serve  the  interest  of  the  Hier- 
archy. Nor  is  it  the  estabHshed  clergy  alone  that 
some  of  the  preceding  remarks  will  apply  to : 
much  bigotry  among  the  clergy  of  the  dissenting 
interest,  may  fairly  be  ascribed  to  similar  causes, 
though  by  no  means  operating  in  the  same  degree. 

But  important  as  this  doctrine  is  to  the  clerical  or- 
der in  political  societies,  some  latitude  of  doubt  and 
even  of  denial,  has  been  conceded  in  England  to  the 
kno\\n  friends  and  adherents  of  the  established  sys- 
tem in  that  country.  This  is  the  more  to  be  won- 
dered at,  as  they  have  generally  considered  a  disso- 
nance  of  opinion  among  their  own  order,  more  fatal 
to  the  common  interest,  than  the  attacks  of  their  a- 
vovved  enemies.  Thus,  more  notice  was  taken  of 
the  Arian  heterodoxy  of  Dr.  Clarke,  than  of  the  a- 
vowed  infidelity  of  Collins,  Tindal,  Toland,  Cow- 
ard, and  other  writers  of  that  class,  who  published 
about  the  same  period. 

Th6  learned  Mr.  Henry  Dodwell  as  lie  is  usually 
called,  and  who  is  a  pregnant  instance  that  learning 

docs 


300  Appendix,  No.  2. 

does  not  always  persuade  good  sense  to  inhabit  the 
same  abode,  took  great  pains  to  shew  that  the  soul  , 
was  naturally  mortal,  but  might  be  immortalized  by 
those  who  had  the  gift  of  conferring  on  it  this  preci- 
ous attiibute.       This  power  he  ascribed  to  the 
Bishops.     Dodwell,  though  he  would  not  at  first  join 
the  establishment,  clianged  his  opinion  and  his  con- 
duct in thisrespect  afterward.  Bishop  Sherlock  denied 
that  the  existence  of  the  soul  could  be  made  evident 
from  the  llghtof  nature,  (Disc. 2  p.  86.  disc.  3  p.  114) 
Of  the  same  opinion  was  Dr.  Law  who  quotes  him. 
Archbishop  Tillotson  declares  (v.  12  serm.  2.)  that 
he  cannot  find  the  doctrine  of  the  immortality  of  the 
soul  expressly  delivered  in  scripture.     Dr.  Warbur- 
ton  wrote  his  "  Divine  legation"  to  prove  that  Moses 
and  the  Jews  neither  believed  in,  nor  knew  of  a  future 
state.     Dr.  Law,  afterward  Bishop  of  Carlisle,  in  the 
appendix  to  the  third  edition  of  his  '*  Considerations 
on  the  theory  of  religion,"  compleatly  overthrows  the 
whole  doctrine  of  a  separate  soul  as  founded  on  the 
scripture,   by  a  critical  examination  of  ever})-  text 
usually  adduced  in  its  support.      Dr.  Watson  the 
present  Bishop  of  Landaff  in  the  preface  to  his  collec- 
tion of  theological  tracts  dedicated  to  young  divines 

for 


Metaphysics.  501 

for  whose  use  it  was  compiled,  expressly  declares 
that  the  question  respecting  the  materiality  or  imma- 
teriality of  the  human  soul,  ranks  among  those  sub- 
jects on  which  the  academicoriim  iitoyj^  may  be  ad- 
mitted, without  injuring  the  foundations  of  religion. 
It  should  seem  therefore,  that  it  is  not  heterodoxy  ia 
mere  speculative  points  of  theology,  that  constitutes 
the  sin  against  the  holy  Ghost  with  an  established 
clergy,  but  heterodoxy  on  the  subject  of  church  au- 
tliority  and  tlie  grand  alliance^  It  is  in  this  spirit  that 
the  tlien  Archdeacon  of  St.  Albans,  Dr.  Horsely  com- 
plains of  Dr.  Priestley's  history  of  the  corruptions 
of  Christianity.  "  You  will  easily  conjecture  (says 
*'  the  Archdeacon  in  his  animadversions  on  that  work 
"p.  5)  what  has  led  me  to  these  reflections,  is  the 
*'  extraordinary  attempt  \\hich  has  lately  been  made 
"  to  unsettle  the  faith  and  break  up  tlie  constitution  of 
*'  e^ery  ecclesiastical  establishment  in  Christendom* 
"  Such  is  the  avowed  object  of  a  recent  publication 
"  which  bears  the  title  of  a  history  of  the  corruptions 
"  of  Christianity,  among  which  the  catholic  doctrine 
*'  of  the  trinity  holds  a  principal  place.'* 

This  is  an  unfortunate  exposure  of  the  cloven  foot 
of  Hierarchy.     It  was  not  the  wish  to  detect  error  or 

to 


302  Appendix,  No.  2. 

to  establish  truth — it  was  not  from  anxiety  to  fix  up- 
on a  firm  footing,  some  great  and  leading  principle  of 
christianit}' — it  was  not  the  benevolent  design  of  com- 
municating useful  information  on  a  litigated  topic  of 
speculative  theology — it  was, not  the  meek  and  gen- 
tle spirit  of  sincere  and  patient  enquiry  that  dictated 
those  animadversions — all  these  motives  ^\ould  not 
only  have  borne  with  patience,  but  Vv-ould  have  wel- 
comed and  exulted  in  a  temperate  discussion  of  un- 
settled opinions,  before  the  tribunal  of  the  public  ; 
fcr  by  such  discussions  alone,  can  the  cause  of  truth 
be  permanently  and  essentially  promoted.  No : 
these  were  not  the  motives  that  influenced  the  Arch- 
deacon of  St.  Albans.  It  v.as  the  nefarious  and  un.. 
pardonable  attempt  to  unsettle  the  fiiith  of  established 
creeds ;  however  founded  that  faith  might  be,  on  ig- 
norance or  prejudice,  on  pardonable  misapprehen- 
sion, or  culpable  misrepresentation,  on  fallacy,  on 
falsehood,  or  en  .fraud.  These  "  Animadversions," 
proceeded  from  the  morbid  irritability  of  an  expectant 
ecclesiastic  ;  from  a  prudent  and  a  prescient  indul- 
g-ence  of  the  ciprh  de  corps  ;  from  a  dread  too  per- 
haps, lest  the  tottering  structure  of  church  establish- 
ment, with  all  its  en^'ied  accompanimerts  of  sees  and 

benefices, 


Metaphysics.  503 

benefices,  of  dcaconries  and  archdeaconries,  and  ca- 
nonries,  and  prebendaries,  and  all  the  pomp  and  pride 
of  artificial  rank,  and  all  the  pleasures  of  temporal 
authority,  and  lucrative  sinecuic  connected  with  it, 
might  be  too  rudely  shaken  by  sectarian  attacks. 
But  enough  for  the  present,  respecting  these  learned 
labours  of  the  Archdeacon  of  St.  Albans ;  which 
like  those  of  Archdeacon  Travis  may  well  be  v,ansi- 
dered  as  having  sufficiently  answered  the  main  pur- 
pose of  their  respective  authors,  in  spite  of  the  wick- 
ed replies  of  Priestley  and  Porson.  Let  us  say  with 
the  public,  rcquiescant  in  pace. 

To  return  ho'wever  to  the  more  immediate  subject 
of  the  present  section.  Hobbes  seems  to  have  been 
the  first  writer  of  repute  (in  England  at  least)  who 
denied  the  doctrine  of  an  immaterial  and  naturally  im- 
mortal soul.  This  was  a  necessary  consequence  of  his 
faith  being  apparently  confined  to  eorporealexistence, 
an  opinion  deducible  in  fact  from  the  old  maxim  of 
the  antients  and  of  the  schools,  ;;//  iinquam  fuit  in 
Intellectu^  quod  non  prius  erai  in  Scnsu.  Hob- 
bes's  Leviathan  was  published  about  1650  or  1651. 
Spinosa  who  published  after  Hobbes  \\'as  rather  an 
Atheist  than  a  Materialist,  a  character  to  ^\hich 

though 


504  Appendix,  No.  2. 

though  Hobbes's  opinions  might  lead,  he  does  not 
assume.  In  1678  Blount  sent  forward  to  the  public 
his  ''  minima  Miindi^  or  an  historical  narration  of  the 
•'  opinions  of  the  antients  concerning  man's  soul  after 
this  life  according  to  unenlightened  nature,"  which 
met  with  much  opposition  and  some  persecution; 
as  was  likely,  for  it  is  by  no  means  destitute  of 
merit. 

In  1702  appeared  a  book  entitled  "  second 
"  thoughts  concerning  the  human  soul,  demonstrat- 
"  ing  the  notion  of  a  human  soul  as  believed  to  be  a 
"  spiritual  and  immortal  substance  united  to  a  hu- 
*'  man,  to  be  an  invention  of  the  heathens  and  not 
"  consonant  to  the  principles  of  philosophy,  reason, 
"  or  religion  by  E.  P.  or  Estibius  Philalethes." 
"  The  year  following  a  supplement  was  published 
''entitled  "  Farther  Thoughts,  &c."  The  author 
preoccupies  a  path  subsequently  taken  by  Dr. 
Law  and  Dr.  Priestley,  and  endeavours  to  shew 
at  length  that  the  notion  of  an  immaterial,  im- 
mortal soul,  is  not  countenanced  by  the  texts  of  scrip- 
ture usually  adduced  in  favour  of  that  opinion. 
These  texts  he  criticises  indiA'idually  with  a  reference 
to  the  original  w  ords  used.      The  author  appears  in 

the 


Metaphysics."  305 

tlic  character  of  a  sincere  christian.  A  second  editi- 
on of  this  book  was  published  1704.  In  1706  Mr. 
Dodwell  before  mentioned,  a  learned  and  laborious 
but  weak  man,  and  bigotted  to  the  hierarchy,  pub- 
lished his  "  Epistolary  discourse  proving  from  the 
"  scriptures  and  the  first  fathers  that  the  soul  is  a 
"  principle  naturally  mortal,  but  immortalized  actu- 
**  ally  by  the  pleasure  of  God,  to  punishment  or  re- 
"  ward  ;  by  its  union  with  the  divine  baptismal  spi- 
"  rit.  Wherein  is  proved  that  none  have  the  pow- 
"  or  of  giving  this  divine  immortalizing  spirit  since 
"  the  apostles,  but  only  the  bishops."  This  gave 
rise  to  the  controversy  between  Clarke  and  Collins  on 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Dodwell's  book  was 
attacked  by  Chishull^  Norrisand  Clarke.  He  repli- 
ed in  three  several  publications,  1st.  "  A  prelimi- 
*'  nary  defence  of  the  epistolary  discourse  concem- 
*'  ing  the  distinction  between  soul  and  spirit,  1707. 
"  2nd.  Tlie  scripture  account  of  the  eternal  rewards 
*'  or  punishments  of  all  that  hear  of  the  gospel,  with- 
"out  an  immortality  necessarily  resulting  from  the 
*' nature  of  souls  themselves  that  are  concerned  in 
"  those  rewards  and  punishments,  1703.  3d.  The 
'f  natural  mortality  of  human  souls  clearly  demon- 

U  "strated 


506  Appendix,  No.  2. 

"  strated  from  the  holy  scriptures  and  the  concurrent 
•'  testimonies  of  the  primitive  writers.     1703. 

About  this  time  Tohind  in  his  letters  to  Serena, 
(1704)  gives  an  "  Essay  on  the  history  of  the  soul's 
*'  immortality  among  the  Heathens,"  deducing  that 
doctrine  from  popular  traditions  supported  by  poeti- 
cal fictions,  and  at  length  adopted  and  defended 
among  the  philosophers.  Concluding  from  hence, 
(preface)  that  divine  authority  was  the  surest  anchor 
of  our  hope  and  the  best  if  not  the  only  demonstrati- 
on of  the  soul's  immortality  ;  an  indirect  denial  of 
the  vvliole  doctrine  as  coming  from  Toland,  who  was 
certainly  no  friend  to  Christianity  and  no  believer  in 
the  divine  authority  of  the  scriptures. 

In  the  same  year  (1704)  but  somewhat  previous  to 
Toland,  Dr.  Coward  had  published  his  ''Grand 
*'  Esaav,  or  a  vindication  of  reason  and  religion 
*•  against  inr[:o{tures  of  philosophy ;  proving  accord- 
''  ing  to  thooc  ideas  and  conceptions  of  things  human 
"  understanding  is  capable  of  forming  itself.  1st. 
*'  That  the  existence  of  an  immaterial  substance  is  a 
''  philosophic  impostureand  impossible  to  be  con- 
*'  ceived.  2ndly  That  all  matter  has  originall)'  ere- 
"  atcd  in  it,  a  principle  of  internal  or  self  motion. 

*'  3rdly 


Metaphysics.  307 

''*  Srdly  That  matter  and  motion  must  be  the  foun- 
"  dation  of  thought  in  men  and  brutes."  Dodwell 
and  Toland  had  learning  enough  and  so  had  Blount 
to  throw  some  light  on  the  history  of  this  question, 
and  the  author  of  second  thoughts  has  many  obser- 
vations well  adapted  to  the  question  he  discusses,  but 
very  little  is  to  be  gained  from  a  perusal  of  Coward's 
book. 

Dr.  Hartley's  great  ^vork,  (great,  not  from  the 
bulk,  but  the  importance  of  it)  was  first  published 
in  1749.  The  direct  and  manifest  tendency  of  the 
wliole  of  his  first  volume  is  to  destroy  the  common 
hypothesis  of  an  immaterial  soul :  and  this  he  docs 
with  a  mass  of  fact  and  a  foice  of  reasoning  irresisti- 
ble. He  shews  clearly  hou-  all  the  faculties  ascribed 
to  the  soul,  thought,  reflection,  judgement,  memo- 
ry, and  all  the  passions  selfish  and  benevolent,  may 
be  resolved  into  one  simple  undeniable  law  of  ani- 
mal organization,  widiout  the  necessity  of  any  hy- 
pothesis  such  as  that  of  a  separate  soul.  Yet  he  does 
not  appear  distinctly  to  have  seen  the  full  weight  and 
tendency  of  his  own  reasoning,  and  he  adopts  a  tlie- 
ory  on  the  subject,  loaded  with  more  difficulties  and 
absurdities,  tlnn  even  the  common  hypothesis, 

U  2  .In 


^08  App-sndi-x,  No.  2. 

In  1757  was  published  a  philosophical  and  scrip- 
tural inquiiy  into  the  nature  and  constitution  "  of 
"  mankind  considered  only  as  rational  beings,  wherein 
*'  the  anticnt  opinion  asserting  the  human  soul  to  be 
"  an  immaterial,  immortal  and  thinking  substance 
*'  is  found  to  be  quite  false  and  erroneous,  and  the 
**  true  nature  state  and  manner  of  existence  of  the 
*'  power  of  thinking  in  mankind  is  evidently  dcmon- 
'*  strutcd  by  reason  and  the  sacred  scriptures.'* 
AuthoreJ.  R.  M.  I.  Who  this  author  really  was 
I  know  not.  But  from  the  perusal  of  his  book  it  is 
probable  that  ha.  was  a  physician,  and  had  been  tra- 
velling. The  above  ^^<^rk  he  terms  the  philosophic 
or  first  part,  and  refers  to  a  longer  work  of  his  own 
in  manuscript  which  it  seems  he  could  not  procure 
to  be  published.  There  is  very  little  new  in  the 
book  so  for  as- 1  could  judge. 

I  do  not  recollect  any  other  treatise  relating  to  the 
Ru  bject  that  excited  public  attention  in  England.  In 
France  and  Holland  La  Mettrie  began  the  contro- 
vjiirsy  by  his  Histoire  naturellede  L'xlme,  published 
at  the  Hague  in  17'1'5  as  a  transLition  from  the 
English  of  P'.Ir.  Charp;*    it  is  a  book  containing 

*'  This  is  probably  oiic  of  the  kunicraUc  iuslauces  of  the  caicless- 

pejwr 


METAPHYSICS.  509 

many  forcible  remarks,  and  did  credit  to  the  side  of 
the  question  which  La  Mettric  had  adopted.  Soon 
after  this  La  Mettrie  pubUshed  L'Homme  machine 
which  was  burnt  in  Holland  in  1748.  This  was  an 
honour  not  due  to  the  formidable  character  of  the 
work  itself,  which  though  it  contains  some  of  the 
common  arguments  drawn  from  the  physiology  and 
pathology  of  the  human  system,  is  by  no  means  of 
first  rate  merit.  He  whimsically  attributes  the 
fierceness  of  the  EngUsh,  to  their  eating  dieir  meat 
more  raw  than  otlier  nations.  This  book  was  trans- 
lated and  published  in  London  in  1750. 

From 


nesB  of.  French  authors  in  quoting  English  names.  I.a  Mettric  most 
likely  meant  to  ascribe  this  to  Mr.  Sharp  the  Surgeon,  w  Ith  whose  re- 
putation he  must  have  been  acquainted.  I  remember  Arthur  Young 
Esq.  in  one  of  his  annals  of  agriculture  complains  that  a  paper  of  his 
translated  into  French  was  given  to  Artor  Jiongeccuicr.  Some  years 
ago  Mr.  Charles  Taylor  of  Manchester  (hitely  secretary  to  the  society 
of  Arts  in  London)  was  requested  by  Lord  Hawkcsbury  to  m:dca 
some  experiments  to  ascertain  the  value  of  East  India  Indigo  when 
compared  with  the  Spanish.  Mr.  Taylor  did  ascertain  tiiat  the  for- 
mer  yielded  more  colour  for  the  same  money  at  tiie  current  prices 
than  the  latter  by  above  one  fourtli.  In  a  paper  I  believe  by  M. 
D'ljonval  tfiese  experiments  are  quoted  in  a  note  as  made  by  Le 
Chevalier  Cliarles  Tadkos  celcbre  manul'.icturicr  do  Manchester. 

U3 


510  Appendix,  No.  2. 

From  Mr.  Hallet's  discoveries  the  last  volume  of 
^vhich  was  published  in  1736  Dr.  Priestley  has  ex- 
tracted for  himself  and  quoted  what  he  deemed  neces- 
sarv  on  this  question.  I  do  not  notice  as  part  of  the 
history  of  the  question  Materialism  in  England,  the 
foreign  atheistical  publications,  such  as  Le  Systeme 
de  la  nature  attributed  to  Mirabcau  the  father,  Le 
"orai  sens  du  Systcmc  de  Pimhcrs  a  posthumous  work 
aacribed  to  llelvetins,  Le  Bon  Sens  by  Meslier,  and 
others  whose  titles  do  not  now  occur  to  mc,  because 
nnlil  within  these  few  years,  they  were  hardly  known 
in  England,  and  excited  no  discussion  of  the  subject 
there,  previous  to  the  work  of  Dr.  Priestley  now  un- 
der consideration.. 

The  Doctor  himself  says  in  his  preface  to  the 
disquisitions  on  matter  and  spirit,  first  published  in 
1777,  that  though  he  had  entertained  occasional 
doubts  on  the  intimate  union  of  two  substances,  so 
entirely  heterogeneous  as  the  Soul  and  the  Body, 
the  objections  to  the  common  hypothesis,  did  not 
impressively  occur  to  him,  until  the  publication  of 
his  treatise  against  the  Scotch  Doctors,  which  was  in 
1774.  Those  doubts  indeed  could  hardly  avoid  oc- 
curring to  any  person   ^^ho  had  carern'.Iy   perused 

Hartley's 


Metapiivsics.  311 

Hartley's  Essay  on  Man,  first  publislicd  in  1749, 
and  Dr.  Law's  appendix  before  mentioned  in  1755. 

Dr.  Hartley  has  shewn  with  a  ^^•eigllt  of  Hict  and 
argument  amounting  to  demonstration,  that  all  the 
phenomena  of  mind,  may  be  accounted  for  from  the 
known  properties  and  laws  of  animal  organization; 
and  notwithstanding,  that  for  some  reason  or  odier 
he  has  so  far  accommodated  his  work  to  \  ulgar  pre- 
judice, as   to  adopt  the  theory  of  a  separate  Soul, 
though  in  a  very  objectionable  form,  it  is  evidently  a 
clog  upon  his  system,  and  unnecessary  to  any  part  of 
his > reasoning.      Substitute  Perception,  and  his 
theory  is  com  pleat.     Nor  indeed  is  it  possible  to  re- 
ject this.     Constant  concomitance  is  the  sole  foun- 
dation on  which  we  build  cur  inference  of  necessary 
connection  :  we  have  7io  evidence  of  the  latter,  but 
the  former.     Perception  manifestly  arises  froir ,  and 
accompanies  animal  organization  ;  the  facts  are  of  per- 
petual occurrence,  and  the  proof  from  induction  is 
compleat. 

Hartley  having-  laid  a  sufficient  foundation  to 
conclude  (as  Dr.  Priestle}'-  has^  done)  that  tlic 
natural  appearances  of  the  human  systcpn  miglit 
be  hilly  explained  by  means  oi  Perception  and  As- 

U  4  sociation 


312  Appendix,  No.  2. 

sociation,  Avithout  the  redundant  introduction  of  the 
common  hypothesis,  Dr.  Law  a  few  years  afterward 
compleatly  proved  to  the  christian  world  that  though 
Life  and  ImmortaHty  were  brought  to  light  by  the 
christian  dispensation,  the  common  theory  of  a  se- 
parate immaterial  and  immortal  soul,  was  not  neces- 
sary to,  or  countenanced  by  the  christian  doctrine. 
Dr.  Law  seems  by  hi«  preface,  to  have  been  fearful 
of  the  consequences  of  expressing  the  whole  of  his 
opinion  on  this  abstruse  subject,  and  confines  him- 
self in  his  appendix  to  the  examination  of  the  passa- 
ges of  Scripture  usually  referred  to  in  favour  of  the 
Soul's  immortality.  This  appendix  I  believe  was 
first  added  to  the  third  edition  of  his  Considerations 
on  the  Theory  of  Religion,  published  in  1755. 

Against  Dr.  Priestley,  any  ground  of  popular 
obloquy  would  be  eagerly  laid  hold  of  by  the  Bigots 
of  the  day.  The  doubts  expressed  in  the  examina- 
tion of  Drs.  Reid,  Oswald,  and  Beattie,  excited  so 
much  obloquy,  as  to  render  it  necessaiy  for  Dr. 
Priestley  to  review  his  opinions,  and  renounce  or 
defend  them.  The  result  was,  the  disquisition  on 
matter  and  spirit,  the  first  volume  containing  a  dis- 
cussion of  the  question  of  materialism,  the  second 

tliat  of  liberty  and  necessity. 

In 


METAriiYsics.  313 

In  discussing  the  former  hypothesis,  Dr.  Priest- 
ley denies  not  only  the  existence  of  spirit  as  having 
no  relation  to  extension  or  space,  but  also  the  com- 
mon definition  of  matter,  as  a  substance  possessing 
only  the  inert  properties  of  extension,  and  solidity 
or  impenetrability.  The  latter  he  defines  in  con- 
formity with  the  more  accurate  obser\ations  of  later 
physics,  a  substance  possessing  the  property  of  ex- 
tension and  the  active  powers  of  attraction  and  re- 
pulsion, With  Boscovich  and  Mr.  Michell,  he 
admits  of  the  penetrability  of  matter,  and  replied  to 
the  objections  that  may  be  drawn  from  this  view  of 
the  subject. 

It  must  be  acknowledged  that  highly  curious  as 
this  preliminary  disquisition  is,  it  is  not  only  unne- 
cessary to  the  main  argument,  but  leaves  the  defini- 
tion of  matter  open  to  the  question  whether  there  be 
any  substratum  or  subject  in  ^hich  the  essential 
properties  or  powers  of  attracting  and  repelling  in- 
here. That  these  powers  really  belong  to  matter, 
whatever  else  matter  may  be,  is  evident  from  the 
reflection  of  light,  previous  to  contact  v/ith  the  re- 
fiicting  substance  and  its  inflection  afterward  from 
the  electric  spark,  visible  along  a  suspended  chain, 

fiom 


314  Appendix,  No.  2. 

from  the  phenomena  of  the  metallic  pyrometers, 
from  the  rain  drop  on  a  cabbage  leaf,  &c.     And 
that  matter  is  permeable,  at  least  to  light,  is  suffici- 
ently evident  from  every  case  of  tranparency.     Still 
however  it  cannot  consist  of  properties  alone  ;  a  pro- 
perty must  be  the  property  of  something.     But  the 
proper  and  direct  train   of  argument  in  favour  of 
materialism  is,  that  e-sery  phenomenon  from  which 
the  notion  of  a  soul  is  deduced,  is  resolveable  into 
some  affection  of  the  brain,  perceived.     That  all 
thought,  reflection,  choice,  judgment,  memory,  the 
passions  and  affections,   &.c.  consist  only  of  ideas 
or  sensations, (i.  e.  motions  within  that  organ)  per- 
ceived at  the  time.     Though,  judgment,   memory, 
being  words,  denoting  different  kinds  of   internal 
perceptions,  relating  only  to,  and  consisting  of,  ideas 
and  sensations.*     That  sensations  and  ideas  them- 
selves. 


*  A  Sersathn  is  an  impression  made  by  some  external  object  on 
the  Senses  ;  the  motion  thus  excited  is  propagated  alons^  the  appro- 
priate nerve,  until  it  reaches  the  Sensory  in  the  Brain,  snd  it  is  there 
!ind  there  only,  ftlt  or  perceived. 

An  Idea,  is  a  motion  in  \he  Brain,  excited  there  either  by  the  laws 
6f  association  to  which  that  organ  is  subject,  or  by  some  accidental 

state 


Metaphysics.  315 

selves,  arise  only  in  consequtncc  of  the  impressi- 
ons of  external  objects  on  our  senses,  which  impres- 
sions arc  liable  to  be  recalled  afterward  by  the  re- 
currence of  others  \\i\h.  which  they  were  originally^ 
associated,  agreeably  to  the  nccessar)^  and  inevitable 
law  of  the  animal  system.  That  this  is  evident  in 
as  much  as  there  can  be  no  ideas  peculiar  to  any  of 
•the  senses  where  there  is  a  want  of  the  necessary 
bodily  organ,  as  of  hearing,  sight,  &c.  inasmuch  as 
all  these  ideas  commence  ^^■ith  the  body,  grow  with 
its  growth,  and  decrease  with  its  decline.  That 
they  can  be  suspended,  altered,  destroyed,  by  artifi- 
cial means,  by  accident,  by  disease.  That  all  these 
properties  of  mind,  viz.  thought,  judgment,  memory, 
passions,  and  affections,  are  as  evident  in  brutes  as 
in  men  ;  and  though  the  degree  be  different,  it  is  al- 
ways accompanied  with  a  proportionate  difference 
of  organization.  That  perception  is  clearly  the  re- 
sult of  organization,  being  always  found  with  it, 
and  never  without  it :  as  clearly  so  in  other  animals 

as 


siateof  llie  system  in  general,  or  tliat  organ  in  particular,  without  tiie 
intervention  of  an  impression  on  the  Senses  ab  extra  as  the  rause  or  it. 
Such  a  motion  being  similar  to  a  sensation  formerly  excited,  and  be- 
injf  also  felt  or  perceived  is  the  correspondent  IJea. 


316  Appendix  No.  2. 

as  ill  the  human  species;  and  probably  in  vegeta^ 
bles  though  in  a  still  lower  degree.*  That  as  all 
the  common  phenomena  of  mind,  can  be  accounted 
for  from  the  known  facts  of  organized  matter  with- 
out the  souls,  and  as  none  of  them  can  possibly  be 
attributed  to  the  soul  without  the  body,  there  is  no 
necessity  to  recur  to  any  gratuitous  theory  in  additi- 
on to  the  visible  corporeal  fi-ame.  That  the  doc- 
trine of  the  soul  originated  in  ignorance,  and  has 
been  supported  by  imposture ;  that  it  involves  gross, 
contradictions  and  insuperable  difficulties,  and  is  no 
more  countenanced  by  true  religion  than  by  true 
philosophy. 

All  this  has  been  shewn  with  great  force  of  argu- 
ment and  ingenuity  by  Dr.  Priestley  in  these  disqui- 
sitions, to  which  it  may  safely  be  affirmed  nothing 
like  a  satisfactory  answer  has  jet  been  given,  or  is 
ever  likely  to  be  given.  True  metaphysics,  like 
every  other  branch  of  philosophy  can  only  be  founds 

ed 


*  Dr.  Percival,  Dr.  Bell  In  the  Manchester  Transaction.?,  and  Dr« 
Watson  in  the  last  volume  of  his  essays,  have  made  tliis  opinion  highly 
probable.  Many  additional  obsenations  are  to  be  found  in  Dr.  Dan- 
win's  works.     I  consider  it  as  a  theory  established. 


Metaphysics.  317 

«d  on  an  accurate  observation  of  facts,  and  as  these 
become  gradually  substituted  for  mere  names,  our 
real  knowledge  will  improve.  It  is  to  physiology 
perhaps  that  the  question  of  the  materiality  of  the 
human  soul,  and  even  that  of  liberty  and  necessity 
will  owe  the  compleatest  elucidation.  Until  medi- 
cal writers  brought  into  view  the  facts  relating  to 
animal  life,  the -metaphysical  disquisitions  on  these 
subjects  were  involved  in  an  endless  confusion  of 
words  without  precise  meaning,  and  almost  always 
including  in  their  d(Anihon  2iJ)entw  principii.  In- 
deed we  are  not  yet  fully  apprized  either  in  Law, 
Physic  or  Divinity  any  more  tlian  in  Metaphysics, 
that  the  species  hitelligibiles  of  the  old  schoolmen,  and 
the  whole  class  of  abstract  ideas  of  the  new  school- 
men with  Locke  at  their  head,  are  not  things,  but 
names.  They  are  not  even  cither  sensations  or 
ideas ;  they  are  words,  convenient  indeed  for  classi- 
fication, and  used  artificially  like  the  signs  of  Alge- 
bra, but  they  have  no  archetype.  This  is  a  subject 
which  will  probably  be  better  understood  ere  long 
by  the  labours  of  Mr.  HomeTooke. 

Dr.  Priestley  therefore  considered  the  question  of 
a  future  state,  as  now  rested  on  the  basis  \Thicli  to 

a  chris- 


S18  Appendix,  No.  ^. 

a  christian  is  or  ought  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory ;  on 
the  promises  and  declarations  of  our  Saviour,  exem- 
plified by  his  own  resurrection  from  the  dead.  In- 
deed the  circumstances  of  the  v.hole  question  of  fu- 
turity depending  on  the  truth  of  the  christian  scrip- 
tures and  on  them  alone,  is  calculated  to  give  them 
a  peculiar  and  inestimable  value  in  the  eyes  of  those 
who  look  forward  with  anxious  hope*  to  a  continued 

and 

♦  There  are  some  persons  who  do  not  sseem  to  entertain  this  anxious 
hope.     Mr.  Gray  the  poet  seems  an  instance,  fi-om  the  following  pas- 
sage in  his  ode  Barbaras  ^Edcs  aditui-e  mecum  (Letters  V.  2  p.  44") 
tiiough  I  do  not  recollect  that  the  sentiment  has  been  noticed  before. 
Oh  ego  felix,  vice  si  (nee  unquam 
Surgerem  rursus)  simili  cadcntera 
Parca  me  lenis  sineret  quieto 

Fallere  Letho. 
Multa  flagranti  radiisque  cincto 
IntegTis,  ah  quam  nihil  inviderem. 
Cum  Dei  ardentes  medius  quadrigas 
Sentit  Olympus ! 
I  wonder  whether  Gray  ever  perused  the   following"  lines  written 
'by  liis  friend  and  Biographer  the  Revd:  Mr.  Mason. 
Is  this  the  Bigot's  rant !     Away  ye  vain  1 ' 
Your  hopes  your  fears,  in  doubt,  in  dulnes»!stcep  t 
Go  sooth  your  souls  in  sickness,  grief,  or  pain^ 
With  the  sad  -solace  of,  eternal  tlerju 


Metaphysics.  319 

and  more  perfect  state  of  existence  after  death.  Nor 
is  it  of  any  consequence  to  the  christian,  that  the 
manner  how  this  will  be  effected  is  not  plainly  reveal- 
ed ;  for  it  is  sufficient  that  the  Being  who  first  gave 
animation  to  the  human  frame,  will  at  his  own  time 
and  in  his  own  manner  for  the  v  isest  and  best  of 
purposes,  again  exert  the  same  actof  almighty  pow- 
er in  favour  of  the  human  race,  and  in  fulfillment  of 
his  promise  through  Jesus  Christ.     Such  at  least 

was, 


Yet  know  ye  Sceptics,  know,  the  Almighty  mind 

Who  brcath'd  on  man  a.  portion  of  his  fire, 

BmcI  his  free  soul  by  enrth  nor  time  confln'd 

T©  heav'n,  to  immortality  aspire. 

Nor  shall  the  pile  of  hope  his  met'cy  rcar'dj 

By  vain  philosophy  be  e'er  destroy'd  ; 

Eternity  !  by  all  or  wish'ii  or  fear'd, 

Sliall  be  by  all,  or  sufibr'd  or  enjoy'd. 

JUason. 
It  is  still  more  sintj^ar  that  Dr.  Beattie  with  all  his  professions  of 
Christianity,  shoidd  not  have  been  aware  of  the  atheistical  completion 
of  tlic  foUowinjj  passage  in  his  "  Hermit." 

Nor  yet  for  the  ravage  of  winter  I  mourn. 

Kind  nature  the  embryo  blossom  shall  save  ; 

But  when  shall  spring  visit  the  raouldering  urn ! 

Oh,  vrhen  shall  it  diiwn  on  the  ni^fht  of  t.he  grare  ! 


320  Appendix,  No.  2. 

■v^-as  the  view  of  the  subject  h::bitually  entertained  by 
our  author. 

Indeed,  the  natural  evidences  of  a  future  state  were 
never  conceived  by  any  reasonable  defender  of  tlie 
doctrine,  to  be  of  themselves  satisfactory  and  conclu- 
sive.* They  were  never  deemed  of  more  value  than  to 
produce  a  probable  expectation  of  a  state  of  future  re- 
wards and  punishments,  and  they  are  certainly  con- 
tradicted by  the  known  facts  relating  to  the  origin, 
tlie  growth,  and  decline  of  the  human  facukies. 
Bishop  Porteus  has  collected  these  arguments,  and 
stated  them  ^vlth  as  much  force  as  his  moderate  abi- 
lities would  permit ;  but  by  far  the  best  summary  of 
Avhat  has  been  urged  on  this  as  well  as  on  almost 
every  important  question  of  morals  and  metaphysics, 
will  be  found  in  Mr.  Belsham's  Elements  of  the 
Philosophy  of  Mind.  An  excellent  compendium, 
by  a  gentleman,  to  whom  next  to  Mr.  Lindsey,  Dr. 

Priestley 


•  Dr.  Priestley  in  his  observations  on  the  increase  of  infidelity  pub- 
lished at  Novtluimberlard,  has  a  passage  which  would  seem  to  inti- 
mate that  a  future  state  might  be. clearly  made  out  by  the  light  of  na- 
ture (p.  59,  60)  but  this  is  certainly  inadvertency,  and  by  no  means 
conformable  to  his  constant,  deliberate,  sentiments  on  that  subject  as 
expressed  particularly  in  liis  Institutes.- 


Metaphysics.  321 

Priestley  appears  to  have  been  more  attached  than  to 
any  other. 

The  SECOND  part  of  the  Disquisitions  on  Matter 
and  Spirit,  contains  a  discussion  of  tlie  long  contest- 
ed and  confused  question  of  Liberty  and  Necessity.   • 

Dr.  Priestley  is  right  in  his  opinion  that  this  ques- 
tion was  not  understood  by  the  ancients,  nor  per- 
haps before  the  time  of  Hobbes.  Long  ago  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  that  the  only  writer  among  the  school- 
men who  had  touched  upon  it,  was  Bradwardine  in 
his  Book  De  causa  Dei,  which  I  regret  that  I  have 
no  opportunity  of  consulting  here.  Many  of  his  ob- 
servations arc  extracted  by  Toplady  in  his  treatise  on 
Liberty  and  Necessity,  and  in  his  life  of  Zanchius; 
but  Toplady  like  Edwards,  did  not  completely  un- 
derstand the  question  ;  they  connected  the  doctrine 
of  necessity  with  all  the  bigotry  of  Calvinism. 

Hobbes  in  his  Leviathan,  and  in  his  reply  to 
Bramhall  on  liberty  and  necessity  in  his  Tripos,  first 
truly  stated  the  subject,  and  shewed  that  the  question 
was,  not  whether  we  can  do  what  we  will,  but  whe- 
ther the  will  itself,  (i.  e.  choice,  preference,  inclina- 
tion, desire,  aversion,)  is  not  inevitably  determined 
by  motives  not  in  the  power  or  controul  of  the  agent. 

V  Hartley's 


522  Appendix,  No.  2. 

Hartley's  book,  however,  shews,  or  rather  leads  to 
the  conclusion, that  these  motives  are  twofold, ^^(?x'/r^ 
and  ab  intra.  The  action  depending  on  the  com- 
pound force  of  the  motives  ab  extra,  and  the  physical 
state  of  the  animal  organs  at  the  moment.  For  the 
latter  is  frequently  of  itself  an  immediate  cause  of  vo- 
luntary action. 

But  previous  to  Dr.  Hartley's  great  work,  the 
question  of  liberty  and  necessity  had  been  discussed 
between  Collins  and  Clark,  and  Clark  and  Leibnitz.*- 
Collins's  Philosophical  inquiry  into  human  liberty, 
first  published  in  1715  was  the  only  book  on  the 
subject  worth  reading  between  the  times  of  Hobbes 
and  Hartley,  and  a  masterly  and  decisive  work  it  is* 
This  appears  to  have  been  translated  and  repeatedly 
printed  on  the  continent;  Dr.  Priestley,  who  re- 
published it  in  London,  mentioning  a  second  edition 
in  1756  at  Paris,  and  a  third  edition  when  he  was 

there 

•  I  do  not  find  that  the  controversy  about  the  Soul  occasioned  by 
the  publications  of  Blount,  Coward,  Dodwell,  &c.  involved  the  ques- 
tion of  Liberty  and  Necessity,  tlio'.igh  tliey  touch  so  nearly.  It  escap- 
ed me  a  few  pages  back,  tliat  Dr.  Cowaid,  was  also  the  author  of 
"  Second  Thoughts  concerning  the  human  Soul"  (.Estibiws  Psycalc- 
thes.)  as  well  as  of  the  Grand  Essay. 


Metaphysics.  323 

tircre  in  1774.  The  controversy  was  kept  alive  in 
Collins's  life  time  by  Leibnitz  ;  but  he  Hkc  Dr.  Ed- 
Avards  who  afterwards  wrote  in  defence  of  the  same 
side  of  the  question  in  his  treatise  on  Free  will,  was 
too  much  given  to  expand  his  ideas,  and  obscure  the 
sense  by  the  multiplicity  of  words  which  he  used  to 
express  it.  The  letters  of  Theodicee  contain  many 
passages  well  conceived,  but  the  book  is  insupporta- 
bly  tedious.  Hobbes  could  condense  more  argument 
and  information  in  a  page,  than  would  serve  Leibnitz 
for  a  volu  me. 

To  this  treatise  of  Collins,  plainly  and  popularly 
written,  no  sufficient  answer  was  or  could  be  given. 
It  must  have  satisfied  the  mind  of  every  reader  capa- 
ble of  understanding  the  question,  though  it  omitted 
to  notice  many  objections  which  were  afterwards  ta- 
ken up  and  fully  answered  by  Dr.  Priestley.  Col- 
lins in  his  preface  takes  pains  to  have  it  understood 
that  he  writes  in  defence  of  moral  necessity  only,  and 
not  of  physical  necessity.  A  distinction  without  a 
difference,  though  taken  by  all  who  have  succeeded 
him. 

I  do  not  dwell  on   the  controversy  between  Jack- 
son on  the  one  side  in  defence  of  human  liberty,  and 
V  2  Gordon 


324  Appendix,  No.  2. 

« 
Gordon  and  Trenchafci  in  Cato's  letters,  because  lit- 
tle was  added  to  the  sum  of  knowledge,  on  either 
side.  Jackson  had  learning  and  industry,  but  he  did 
not  understand  the  question,  and  had  no  pretensions 
to  that  species  of  distinguishing  acuteness,  so  neces- 
sary to  a  good  metaphysician. 

Dr.  Priestley,  following  the  enlarged  and  cheering 
views  of  the  future  happiness  of  all  mankind,  first 
connected  by  Hartley  with  this  question,  shews  com» 
pletely  that  the  doctrine  under  consideration  has  no- 
thing to  do  with  the  strict  calvinistic  hypothesis. 
That  it  is  sufficiently  conformable  to  popular  opini- 
on. That  it  is  the  only  practical  doctrine  which  in  fact 
is,  or  indeed  can  be  acted  upon  with  respect  to  the 
application  of  reasoning  and  argument,  reward  arid 
punishment.  That  the  formation  of  character  and 
disposition,  the  actual  inferences  we  make  from,  and 
the  dependence  we  place  upon  them,  rest  entirely  on 
the  truth  of  this  opinion.  That  from  the  nature  of 
cause  and  effect,  every  volition  must  be  the  necessary- 
result  of  previous  circumstances.  That  the  schntia 
contmgeiit'mm,  the  great  and  insuperable  difficulty  of 
God's  pretended  foreknowledge  of  uncertain  events, 
can  on  no  other  hypothesis  be  avoided,  and  that  the 

doctrine 


Metaphysics,  325 

doctrine  of  necessity  is  perfectly  consistent  with  the 
great  plan  of  divine  benevolence,  in  the  present  state, 
and  future  destination,  of  the  human  race. 

These  subjects  called  forth  remarks  by  Dr.  Price, 
Mr,  Palmer,  Mr.  Bryant,  Dr.  Kcnrick,  Mr.  Whiter 
head,  Dr.  Horscley  and  others ;  to  all  of  whom,  an- 
wers  were  given  by  Dr.  Priestley. 

The  controversy  with  Dr.  Price  is  a  pleasing  spe- 
cimen of  the  manner  in  \vhich  an  important  subject 
can  be  amicably  discussed  between  two  friends,  and 
made  interesting  too,  by  the  manner  as  well  as  the 
matter,  without  any  thing  of  that   *'  seasoning  of 
controversy"  which  Dr.Horsely  afterward  thought  so 
necessary  to  keep  alive  the  public  attention,  and  which 
he  strews  over  his  polemics  with  so  unsparing  a  hand. 
The  Bishop  had  not  yet  however  adopted  that  stile  of 
arrogance  by  which  he  has  since  been  so  disgraceful- 
ly distinguished;  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  for  the 
sake  of  his  own  character  as  a  gentleman  and  as  a  ^^  ri- 
ter,  that  he  adopted  it  at  all.     Dr.  Horsely  should 
recollect,  that  those  who  emulate  the  insolence  of 
Warburton  ought  at  least  to  give  proofs  of  equal 
learning  and  acuteness ;  and  that  bigotry  and  intole- 
rance in  defence  of  opinions  which,  though  a  man  may 
V  «  profess 


326  AprENMx  No.  2. 

profess  to  believe,  he  can  hardly  profess  to  under- 
stand, will  do  no  credit  to  his  religious,  his  moral, 
or  his  literary  character  in  the  present  state  of  know- 
ledge. But  character  as  a  writer,  may  be  a  seconda- 
ry consideration,  to  one  who  is  determined  to  verify 
the  saying,  that  godliness  is  great  gain.* 

It  has  been  a  misfortune  to  this  question,  that  it 
has  seldom  been  treated  by  persons  who  knew  any 
thing  of  the  organization  or  physiology  of  the  human 
frame ;  and  that  it  has  been  complicated  with  all  the 
prejudice  arising  from  the  theological  tenets  of  those 
who  opposed  the  doctrine  of  necessity.  Every  phy- 
sician knows,  though  metaphysicians  know  little 
about  it,  that  the  laws  which  govern  the  animal  ma- 
chine, arc  as  certain  and  invariable  as  those  which 
guide  the  planetary  system,  and  arc  as  little  within  the 

controu! 


*  Dr.  Horselej's  polemic  strictures  on  Dr.  Priestley's  writings,  ex- 
hibit a  singular  compound  of  insolence  and  absurdity.  But  he  is  con- 
tented, I  presume,  if  he  rises  in  the  church,  as  he  sinks  in  reputation. 
Some  of  his  opinions  are  truly  diverting.  His  theory  of  divine  genera- 
tion by  the  Father  contemplating  his  own  perfections,  and  his  gi'avc  sug- 
gestion of  the  three  persons  of  the  Godhead  meeting  together  in  con- 
sultation, stand  a  fulr  chance  of  being  noticed  by  some  wicked  wit,  wht> 
may  wish  to  expose  the  infirmities  of  orthodoxy  real  or  pretended. 


Metaphysics.  527 

tontroul  of  the  human  being  who  is  subject  to  them. 
Everj'-  sensation  therefore,  and  every  idea  dependent 
on,  or  resulting  from  the  state  of  the  sensory,  is  the 
necessary  effect  of  the  laws  of  organization  by  which 
that  state  was  produced.     But  we  neither  have  nor 
can  have  any  sensation  or  any  idea,  but  what  is  so  de- 
pendent, or  but  what  thus  results ;  for  we  can  neither 
feel  nor  think  without  the  brain.     The  words  wc  use 
for  the  Phenomena  termed  mental,  are  mere  terms  of 
classification  and  arrangement  of  the  sensations  and 
ideas  thus  produced,  and  their  combinations.  Hence 
it  follows,  that  all  these  phenomena  depend  on  the  laws 
which  regulate  the  animal  system,  and  are  the  necessa- 
ly,  inevitable  result  of  those  law$.     The  obscurity 
which  has  enveloped  this  question,  has  arisen  from 
want  of  due  attention  to  that  state  of  mind  (or  rather 
of  body)  which  wc  call,  the  will ;  and  from  the  pow- 
er that  animals  seem  to  have  over  the  voluntary  mus- 
cles. But  every  Physiologist  knows  that  the  state  of 
the  system  which  calls  into  action  the  voluntary 
muscles,  that  is,  a  state  of  want,  desire  or  inclinati- 
on, whether  to  act  or  to  abstain  ,^  is  the  result  of  previ- 
ous circumstances  to  which  the  animal  is  exposed  ; 
and  the  action  of  the  voluntary  muscles,  is  equally 

Y4  tlio 


o2S  Appendix,  No.  2. 

the  result  of  necessary  laws,  as  those  of  the  involun- 
tary. 

The  great  object  of  terror  to  the  Divines  in  this 
question  about  Necessity,  was  t^e  coAsequence  re- 
sulting, that  God  is  the  author  of  Sin.  Many  and 
subtile  were  the  distinctions  made  upon  this  subject 
by  the  necessarian  theologists  among  the  schoolmen, 
and  down  to  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
Richard  Baxter  the  peace-maker,  in  his  Christian 
Directory,  his  Catholic  Theologie  and  some  other 
works,  has  briefly  revie\ved  them  all,  and  as  usual 
distinguished  upon  them  so  acutely,  that  what  was 
not  quite  clear  before,  he  has  most  effectually  obscur- 
ed. The  prevailing  opinion,  however,  seems  to  have 
been,  not  that  God  permitted  the  sinful  act  (for  the 
reply  was  unanswerable,  that  God  must  be  consider- 
ed, as  willing  that  which  he  does  not  prevent  when 
he  can,)  but  that  God,  in  the  common  course  of  na- 
ture as  pre-ordained  by  him,  permitted  the  action  it- 
self to  come  to  pass,  but  not  the  intention  or  quo  ani- 
mo  of  the  actor,  in  which  the  sin  consists  ;  or  as  Gale 
expresses  it  in  the  quaint  language  of  the  time,  it  is 
"  God's  pre-determinate  concurse  to  the  entitativc 
act.'* 

Indeed, 


Metaphysics.  329 

Indeed,  I  do  not  see  with  the  orthodox  notions 
then  prevalenl,  how  it  was  possible  on  the  hypo- 
thesis of  God's  foreknowing  and  pre-ordaining  ail- 
that  comes  to  pass,  to  avoid  considering  God  Al- 
mighty as  the  author  of  Sin  ;  and  to  feel  repugnance 
to\\ard  a  system,  which  makes  the  deity  inflict  eter- 
nal punishment  on  a  creature,  whose  actions  he  might 
have  controuled,  and  whose  existence  h6  could  have 
prevented.  Such  manifest  injustice  might  be  view- 
ed without  horror,  by  the  bruU\l  bigotry  of  Calvin, 
but  the  tenets  that  drew  after  them  such  a  conse- 
quence, could  not  be  adopted  without  hesitation  and 
regret,  by  any,  but  the  most  thorough  going,  unfecl, 
ing  zealot. 

Origen's  doctrine  of  Universal  Restitution,  was 
first  advanced  m  England  (so  far  as  I  know)  by  Rust, 
Bishop  of  Dromorc,  and  Jeremy  White,  who  I  be- 
lieve had  been  Chaplain  to  Cromwell.  Since  that,  the 
labours  of  Stonchouse,Petitpierre,  Newton,  Winches- 
ter, Chauncey  and  Simpson,  have  furnished  ground 
enough  for  us  to  adopt  it  as  the  doctrine  of  scripture 
as  well  as  of  common  sense.  By  connecting  this 
doctrine  with  that  of  necessity,  Dr.  Hartley  and  Dr. 
Priestley  have  been  enabled  to  give  a  full  and  satis- 
factory 


530  Appendix,  No.  2. 

factory  reply  to  all  the  objections  that  can  be  drawn 
from  the  theory  of  necessity,  making  God  the  author 
of  Sin.  Indeed,  unless  God's  foreknowledge  be  de- 
nied, the  same  difficulty  must  occur  oncidier  scheme  : 
for  he  has  knowingly  and  voluntarily  adopted  a  sys- 
tem, in  which  the  existence  of  evil  if  not  necessary,  is 
ai  least  undeniable. 

Granting  the  goodness  of  God,  it  follows  accord- 
ing to  Dr.  Priestley,  that  he  has  adopted  that  system 
which  is  most  conducive  to  general,  and  individual 
happiness  upon  the  whole  ;  and  that  the  moral  evil 
of  which  for  the  best  purposes  he  has  permitted  hu  man 
creatures  to  be  guilty,  and  the  physical  evil,  which 
here  or  hereafter  will  be  the  inevitable  consequence 
of  that  conduct,  are  necessary  to  produce  the  greatest 
sum  ol'good  to  the  system  at  large,  and  to  each  hu- 
man being  individually,  considering  the  situation  in 
\\  hich  he  has  been  necessarily  placed  in  respect  to  the 
whole  system.  Indeed,  moral  evil  is  of  no  farther 
consequence  than  as  it  produces  physical  evil  to  the 
aj>;cnt,  or  to  others.  And  as  we  see  in  the  system  of 
inanimate  nature,  that  general  good  is  the  result  of 
partial  and  temporary  caII,  and  that  though  the  one 
follows  necessarily  fioni  general  laws  as  the  result 

of 


METAPiiYsrcs.  351 

ofthcotlier,  the  good  manifestly  predomninates,  so 
in  the  moral  system,  we  have  a  right  from  analogy  to 
predict,  that  good  mil  be  the  ultimate  result  of  the 
apparent  evil  we  observe  in  it :  that  we  shall  be  the 
wiser  for  knowing  what  is  to  be  avoided  ;  the  better 
for  corrected  dispositions ;  and  that  the  power,  and 
the  wish  to  receive  and  communicate  happiness,  will 
be  enlarged  through  each  successive  stage  of  our  ex- 
istence, by  the  experience  of  those  that  have  preced- 
ed.    So  at  least  thought  Dr.  Priestley. 

Leibnitz  states  some  of  these  ideas  with  great 
force  in  the  following  passage,  which  I  am  tempted 
to  transcribe  entire  from  his  Essais  de  Theodiche ; 
sur  la  Bofith  de  Dieu,  la  liberth  de  /'  hommey  et 
Vorigine   da  mal^   first  published  in    1710.  (Prem» 

partie  Sec.  7,  8,  9.)* 

Accord- 

•  D'teii  est  la  premiere  RaUon  des  choscs  :  car  cellcs  qui  sont  bor- 
nees,  commc  tout  c«  que  nous  voyons  et  cxperimentons,  sont  contin- 
gentes,  &  n'ont  rien  en  elles  qui  rendc  leur  existence  necessaire  ; 
etant  manifcste  que  le  terns,  I'espace  &  la  matierc  unies  &  uniformcs 
en  elles-mcmcs,  &.  indiflcrcnlcs  a  tout,  pouvoient  rcccvoir  do  tout  au- 
tres  mouvcmens  &  figures,  &dans  unaulre  ordre.  II  faut  done  chcr- 
cher  la  ralson  de  /'  exintence  du  moude,  (jui  est  Tassemblagc  enticr  des 
choses  cor.tin^entei :  h.  il  f^iut  la  clicrchcr  dans  la  stibstatice  qui  parte  fa 

raison 


^532  Appendix,  No.  2. 

According  to  this  opinion  of  Leibnitz,  the  operative 
motive  in  the  choice  of  tlie  present  system  being  the 
attribute  of  Benevolence  in  the  Almighty,  the  exist- 
ence 

raison  de  son  existence  avec  elle,  &:.l&qyic\le  i)a.r  consequent  est  tiecet' 
saire  &  etci-nelle.  II  faut  aussi  que  cette  cause  soil  inteUi^ente :  car 
ce  Monde  qui  existe  etant  contingent,  8c  une  infinite  d'autres  Mondes 
£tant  ^galemeut  possibles  &  dgalement  pretcndans  a  i'existence, 
pour  ainsi  dire,  aussi  bien  que  lui,  il  faut  que  la  cause  du  monde  ait 
«u  cgard  ou  relation  ^  tous  ces  Mondes  possibles  poui*  en  determiner 
tin.  Et  cct  6gard  ou  rapport  d'une  substance  existante  ^  de  simples 
possibillt^s,  ne  pent  etre  autre  chose  que  I'entendcment  qui  en  a  les 
jd^es  ;  Si  en  determiner  unc,  ne  peut  etre  autre  chose  que  I'acte  de 
la  voiontc  qui  choisit.  Et  c'cst  la  puissance  de  cette  substance  qui  en 
rend  la  volenti  efficace.  La  puissance  va  k  Vetre,  la  sugessc  ou  I'en- 
tciulemcnt  au  trai,  &  la  volontd  au  bien.  Et  cette  cause  intelligente 
dolt  etre  infinic  de  toutes  les  manieres,  &  absolumcnt  parfaile  en  pnis' 
sancc,  en  sagesse  &  en  boni6,  puisqu'elle  vaa  tout  ce  qui  est  possible. 
Et  comme  tout  est  lii;,  il  n'y  a  pas  lieu  d'en  admettre  plus  d'une.  Son 
entendemcnt  est  la  source  des  essences,  &  sa  volonte  est  I'origine  dc» 
existances.  Voila  en  peu  de  mots  la  preuve  d'un  Dieu  unique  avee 
ses  perfections,  &.  par  lui  I'origine  des  choses. 

8.  Or  cette  supreme  sagesse  jointe  a  une  bonte  qui  n'est  pas  moins 
inHnie  qu'cllc,  n'apu  manqucr  de  choisir  Ic  mellleur.  Car  comme  un 
molndre  mal  est  une  especc  de  bien ;  de  me  me  un  moindre  bien  est 
line  especc  de  mal,  s'il  fait  obstacle  a  un  bien  plus  grand  :  8c  11  y  au- 
rcit  quclquc  chose  a  corriger  duns  les  actions  dc  Dieu,  s'il  y  avoit 
raoyca  dc  micux  faire.     Et  comme  dans  les  Mathematiques,  quand  il 


Metaphysics.  33S 

cnce  ofiill  thnt  wq  term  evil,  is  with  respect  to  him,  and 
his  preordination  of  it,  good ;  for  the  whole  intention 
and  motive  of  its  permission  is  founded  in  perfect 

goodness 


n'y  a  point  de  maximum  m  de  minimum,  rien  enfin  dc  distingue,  tout 
se  fait  dgalcment :  ou  quand  cela  nc  sc  pent,  il  ne  se  fuit  rien  du  tout ; 
on  peut  dire  de  tnemc  en  matiere  de  parfuite  sapesse,  qui  n'est  pas 
moins  reglcJe  qne  les  Mathf  matiques,  que  s'il  n'y  avoit  pas  le  meil- 
leur  {optimum)  parmi  tous  les  Mondcs  possibles,  Dieu  n*enauroit  pvo- 
duit  aucun.  J'aj>pclle  Monde  toute  la  suite  &  toute  la  collection  de 
toutv's  los  d'.oses  existantcs.  afln  qu'on  ne  dUe  point  que  plusieurs 
Mondes  pouvoient  exister  en  difTercns  temps  &  differens  lieux.  Car 
il  faudroit  les  compter  tous  ensemble  pour  un  Monde,  ou  si  vous  vou- 
lez  pour  un  Univers.  Et  quand  on  rcmpliroit  tous  les  terns  &  tous  les 
lieuz  ;  il  dcmeure  toujoui's  vrai  qu'on  les  auroit  pu  remplir  d'une  in- 
finite de  maniercs,  &  qu'il  y  a  une  infinite  de  Mondes  possibles,  dont 
il  faut  que  Dieu  ait  choisi  Ic  mellleur  ;  puisqu'il  ne  fait  rien  sans  agir 
•uivant  la  supreme  Raison. 

9.  Quelque  adversaire  nepouvant  rcpondre  i  cct  argument,  re pon- 
dra  peut-etre  a  la  conclusion  par  un  argument  contraire,  en  disant 
quo  le  Monde  auroit  pu  etre  sans  le  peche  Sc  sans  les  souiTrances  : 
niais  je  nie  qu'alors  il  auroit  et<;  meilleur.  Car  il  faut  savoir  que  tout 
est  li6  dansciiacun  des  mondes  possibles  :  rUnlvers,  quel  qu'il  pulsse 
<tre,  est  tout  d'une  piece,  comme  un  Ocean  ;  le  moindre  mouve- 
ment  y  ^tend  son  eiTet  i  quelque  distance  que  ce  solt,  quoique  cet 
effet  devienne  moins  sensible  i  proportion  de  la  distance,  de  sopte  que 
Dieu  y  a  tout  regie  par  avance  une  fois  pour  toutes,  ayant  prevu  leg 
pritres,  les  bonnes  £4  lc8  mauvaisc»  actions,  &  tout  Ic  re-tc  ;  &  cbaque 

chose 


334  Appendix,  No.  2. 

goodness  guided  by  perfect  wisdom.  With  respect 
to  the  finite  beings,  by  uhom  evil  is  permitted  to 
take  place,  there  can  be  no  doubt  on  this  scheme,  but 
the  balance  of  existence  will  be  happiness  even  to 
them,  whenever  by  proper  discipline  they  are  fitted 
to  enjoy  it.  Perhaps  it  may  be  doubted  without  in- 
fringing on  the  reverence  due  to  the  supreme  dispo- 
ser of  all  events,  whether  it  would  be  consistent  with 
his  justice,  knowingly  and  voluntarily  to  bring  into 
existence,  a  sentient  being,  destined  to  be  perma- 
nently miserable. 

The  question  of  Materialism,  has  been  discussed 
since  the  disquisition  of  Dr.  Priestley,  by  Mr.  Coop- 
er, who  adopts  the  same  side.  Dr.  Ferriar  of  Man- 
chester, has  rendered  it  dubious  how  far  the  sentient 
principle  ought  to  be  confined  to  the  brain,  though 
the  facts  he  adduces,  apply  with  equal  force  against 

the 


chose  a  contribue  iJCalement  avant  son  existence  a  la  resolution  qui  a 
etc  ])rlsc  sur  I'existence  de  toiites  les  choses.  De  sorte  que  rien  n« 
peut  etre  change  dans  I'Univers  (non  plus  que  dans  un  nombre)  «auf 
«on  essence,  ou  si  vous  voulez,  sauf  son  individuality  numerique.  Ain- 
ci,  si  le  moindre  mal  qui  arrive  dansle  Monde  y  manquoit,  cene  seroit 
plus  ce  Monde  ;  qui  lout  comptec,  tout  rabattu,  a  etc  trouvu  le  meil- 
Jcuvpar  Ic  Creatcur  qui  Ta  choisi. 


Metaptiysics.  535 

the  common  hypothesis  of  a  separate  soul,  acting  by 
means  of  the  body.  The  doctrine  of  Necessity  has 
been  opposed  by  Dr.  Gregory  of  Edinburgh,  but 
with  a  weakness  of  argument,  and  a  petulance  of 
language,  that  places  his  work  in  the  lowest  rank 
among  the  writers  who  have  adopted  the  same  side 
of  the  question.  It  hardly  deserved  the  notice  of  so 
good  an  advocate  as  Dr.  Crombie,  who  has  been  the 
latest  author  on  the  subject. 

Indeed,  the  question  must  now  be  considered  as 
settled  ;  for  those  who  can  resist  Collins's  philosophi- 
cal enquiry,  the  section  of  Dr.  Hartley  on  the  Me- 
chanism of  the  mind,  and  the  review  of  the  subject 
taken  by  Dr.  Priestley  and  his  opponents,  are  not  to 
be  reasoned  with.  Interest  rc'ipublkce  iit  deniqiie  sit 
finis  litium^  is  a  maxim  of  technical  law.  It  will  ap- 
ply equally  to  the  republic  of  letters  ;  and  the  time 
seems  to  have  arrived,  when  the  separate  existence  of 
the  human  soul,  the  freedom  of  the  will,  and  the  etcr* 
nal  duration  of  future  punishment,  like  the  doctrines 
of  the  Trinity,  and  Transubstantiation,  may  be  re- 
garded as  no  longer  entitled  to  public  discussion. 

It  is  for  this  reason  that  I  have  paid  no  attention  to 
the  hypothesis  of  the  Scotch  Doctors,  Rcid,  Bcaitic 

and 


536  Appendix,  No.  2. 

and  Oswald,  and  have  gi\  en  no  detailed  account  of 
Dr.  Priestley's  examination  of  their  writings.  In  - 
deed  the  perfect  oblivion  into  which  these  writers 
have  flillcn,  and  the  utter  insufficiency  of  such 
young  gentlemen  and  lady's  philosophy  as  they  have 
adopted,  has  secured  them  from  further  animadver- 
sion. The  facility  with  which  ignorance  can  refer 
all  difficulties  relating  to  the  phenomena  of  mind,  to 
instinctive  principles  and  common  sense,  might  an- 
swer the  |)urpose  of  popular  declamation  for  a  while, 
but  it  could  not  last ;  and  these  writers  have  fallen 
into  merited  obscurity,  notwithstanding  the  national 
prejudice  in  favour  of  each  other,  so  prevalent  among 
the  Lite rufi  of  North  Britain.  ' 

Some  passages  in  Dr.  Reid,  however  ought  to 
exempt  him  from  the  contenipt  which  is  due  to  the 
common  system  advanced  by  him  and  his  coadju- 
tors :  and  his  last  book  on  the  Active  powers  of  man, 
is  a  work  of  undeniable  merit  on  a  very  important 
subject,  v.'hichlias  not  yet  been  discussed  with  half 
the  labour  it  so  eminently  deserves.  The  Synthesis 
and  Analysis  of  our  ideas,  the  history  and  process  of 
their  formation,  and  the  detail  of  facts  attending  and 
connected  M'ith  their  rise  and  progress,  is  compara- 
tively 


Metai'iiysics.  333 

lively  a  new  subject.  Des  Cartes,  Bu flier  and 
Condillac  among  the  French,  Locke,  Berkeley 
and  Hartley  among  the  English,  and  Hume, 
lleid,  and  Adam  Smith  among  the  Scotch,  are 
almost  the  only  authors  worth  notice  who  have 
treated  it  expressly,  and  most  of  them  only  partial- 
ly.* Something  may  be  found  to  the  pui-pose  in 
Hobbes,  and  in  tlie  first  part  of  Dr.  Priestley's  ex- 
amination of  Held,  Oswald  and  Beattie,  and  more 
:n  the  first  volume  of  Zoonomia,  §  14  and  I5i^ 
The  common  sense  of  Dr.  Reid  and  Go.  seems  to  have 
been  employed  as  the  clavis  unhersaiis  on  this  sub- 
ject by  Buffier,  in  his  "First  Truths."  Hutcheson's 
theory  of  the  Moral  Sense  hardly  merits  notice,  nor 
does  that  of  Dr.  Price  promise  to  add  much  to  the 
stock  of  real  knowledge.  We  have  had  enough  [sat 
super qu:^  of  occult  principles,  innate  principles,  and 

instinc- 

*  Di".  Diiijal  Stcu  art  in  Scotland,  and  tlie  llcvd.  Mr.  Belsham  in  Eng- 

Und,  have  pablished  Elements  of  the  Philosophy  of  the  mind,  the  first 

inclining  to  the  Scotch  School  of  Metaphysics,  the  latter  to  the  System 

of  Hiu'lley  ;  both  oFthcm  of  merit  in  their  way,  particularly  (as  I  think) 

tliat  of  Mr.  Eclsh:;in. 

t  I  cannot  liclp  thinkinfj  Dr.  D.arwin's  o!)lijjution£  to  Dr.  Hartley 
and  Dr.  Brown  ought  to  Iiave  dictated  more  acknowledgement  than 
)ic  lias  condescended  to  make. 

w 


5S4  AfPENDix,  No.  2. 

instinctive  principles,  which  illustrate  nothing,  but 
the  ignorance  of  those  who  employ  them. 

For  my  own  part,  I  am  persuaded  that  no  Theory 
of  the  mind  can  be  satisfactory,  which  is  not  found- 
ed on  the  history  of  the  Body.  I  know  of  no 
legitimate  passport  to  Metaphysics  but  Physio- 
logy. Hence  I  cannot  estimate  highly  the  writ- 
ings of  the  Scotch  Metaphysicians.  There  is  one  other 
feature  also  common  to  this  School,  wliich  satisfies 
me  of  their  incompetence  to  this  subject;  their  slight 
iK)tice,  and  ambiguous  approbation  of  a  man  so  su- 
perior as  Dr.  Hartley,  and  their  utter  ignorance  or 
neglect  of  the  theory  he  has  advanced.  On  everjr 
subject  relating  to  the  phenomena  of  mind,  Dr. 
Hartley's  book  must  be  adopted  as  the  ground  work 
of  the  reasoning,  or  his  principles  must  be  previ- 
ously and  distinctly  confuted.* 

There 


*  Dr.  Rcid  in  Iris  last  work  l.as  given  a  critique  on  Dr.  Hartky's 
theory  without  unclcrslar.ding  it,  or  even  touching'  on  the  important 
points.  Tli.it  tlieory  in  substance  is  this  :  an  external  object  (a  peach 
for  instance)  makes  an  impression  at  once,  on  our  organs  of  feeling-, 
of  sight,  and  of  taste.  The  impros.=;ion  thus  made  on  the  extreme  end 
©f  the  appropriate  nerve,  is  prnpaga'tcd  by  some  species  of  motion  along' 

tlie 


Metaphysics.  335 

The  Metaphysics  of  the  present  day  require  also, 
a  more  accurate  attention  to  tlie  Tlicory  of  Grammar 
than  has  hitherto  been  paid  by  writers  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

the  course  of  the  nerve  up  to  the  brain,  ainl  there,  and  there  only,  per- 
ceived; for  if  the  nerve  be  eut,  or  tied,  or  palsied,  in  any  part  of  iti 
course,  tlie  impression  is  not  perceived.  Motions  in  the  brain  thug 
produced,  and  perceived,  arc  sensations  :  similar  motions  arising,  or 
produced  vlthout  the  impression  of  an  external  object,  are  idcat. 
These  impressions  being  in  the  instance  given,  simultaneous  or  nearly 
so,  arc  associated,  so  that  the  sensation  produced  bv  the  sight  of  a 
peach,  will  give  rise  to  motions  in  thp  brain  slmlU"-  to  lUosc  produced 
at  first  by  the  taste  and  the  toucli  of  it :  i.  e.  it  will  suggest  the  ideas  of 
taste  and  touch,  and  excite  the  inclination  to  reach  and  to  eat  the  ob- 
ject of  them.  Hence  sensations,  ideas,  and  muscular  motions  are  as- 
sociated together  and  mutually  suggest  and  give  rise  to  each  other. 
What  specie!  of  motion  it  is,  with  wliicii  the  nervous  system  is  affect- 
ed in  this  process,  or  whether  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  j£ther,  or  its  modern 
substitute  the  electric  fluid,  has  any  thing  to  do  .witli  it  or  not,  is  no  es- 
sential part  of  the  theory,  and  maybe  adopted  or  rejected  without 
prejudice  to  the  main  system.  Some  kind  cf  motion  there  mamfestly 
is;  I  think  it  demonstrable  that  it  is  vibratory;  but  of  whatever  kind 
it  be,  its  existence  in  the  brain  is  unquestionable  ;  and  the  association 
and  catenation  of  individual  motions  in  the  brain  according  to  certain 
laws,  is  equally  so.  Tl)is  is  matter  of  fact,  and  it  was  Br.  Reid's 
business  if  he  could,  to  slicw  that  neither  the  motions,  the  percepti- 
ons, or  tl  c  associations  took  j:lacc  in  that  organ.  1  he  general  Ir.w  is 
expressed  by  Hartley  Prop.  20.  Cor.  7. 

W2 


236  ArfZNDix,  No.  2. 

jiBCf,.  :■  Perhaps  I  do  not  assert  too  much  in  saying 
tliat  we  have  had  no  grammarians  worth  notice,  none 
wl.o  have  thrown  light  on  the  principles  oi  Gram- 
mar,, but  Locke  and  Home  Tooke.  What  dread- 
jul:  confusion  has  arisen  from  treating  words  denot. 
&g  whatar?  called  abstract*  ideas,  asjf  thej  were  the 
exponents  of  real  individu;al  existence  f  Whereas 
they  are  merely  signs  of  artificial  classification  with- 
qui  m\y  individual  archetype.  For  instance  in  rela- 
tion to  the  present  subject,  what  volumes  of  labour- 
ed and  learned  trifling  have  been  written  on  the  PP'ill, 
the  yudgment^  the  Understanding  and  the  other  fa- 
culties as  they  are  called,  of  the  soul !  Yet  nothing- 
is  more  certain  than  that  the  will,  the  judgment,  the 
understanding,  Sec.  have  ^10  existence :  tliey  ars 
w'ord's  'Ifenl^/^h'^'leount^s^  employed  in  reasoning, 
convenient  signs  ^f  arrangeni^nt,  like  the  plus  the 
minus  and  the'  unhi^Q^  'maiitliy  in  Algebra,  but 
no  more.  The  time,h6wev€r  is  approaching,  when 
Metaphysics  will  take"  i-ank  .amonaj  tlie  Sciences  that 

^     '■  .  - 

lay  claim,  if  not  tbabsoliite  demonstration,  yet  to  an 
approximation  to  cp^|taijilj.i^ufficient,for,ail  the  pur- 
poses of  ethieaf  rejisQiiiiMj.  anid  aJ|;the  piaclical  du- 
ties of  human  life.        •    -  •■'■^  ":.r.    - 


ERRJTJ. 


Page,    Line 

23 


10      from  the  top,         For  deliverery,  read  delivery. 

84  14.       I—     ■     —        *"  M  Actts,  ,,       ■^^''t''* 

,,  ,,  —  —  ,,  ffcsiiiit,  „        "t'f  'inil' 

90  bottom  line,  „  No.  6,  „       No.  4. 

160  a  „  biT,  „       But. 

jjz  3  ...  .-  ,,  1  iancount,  ,,        Liancoiirt. 

188  I  -  „  <icicrmit!g,  ,,       determining. 

8  „  he  „       I.- 

214  I  -  „  For  wall,  read  will. 

ai8  3  from  the  bottom  ,,  inin-orality,  ,,        immortality. 

229  2  ,,  i(>-j,  „        1767- 

28;  3  —         — -  ,,  *orr,  ,,        forte. 

3C4  8  from  the  bottom  after,  the  Author,  ,,  ^'^r     C'lward. 

,,  I     from  the  top  ,  pre.lomininatcs,     ,,  jg^domiua'.cs. 

."^.K^  7  from  'hi  top  of  the  note  for  disc,  ,,    ^^V 

357  12    from  the  top     J: or  is,  j,      it^ 


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